A Little Thieving Magic
by wingedknightzero
Summary: My name is Annika and I am a member of the Police Force. All my life, I had known who and what I wanted to be. When Carmelita Fox offered me a job at Interpol, I couldn't refuse. It was the best thing that could happen to me. And then, he showed up...
1. Heist 1

~Wow… I couldn't believe I had been asked to join Interpol. I suppose I was well known now because of the capture of Archimedes. It's a long story… Anyhow, I was called into Interpol by someone named Carmelita. She was quite famous and one of the best. I was actually quite surprised.

She had told me to meet her in Paris on a certain day. As promised, I met her in person. She was definitely not what I pictured when she first called me. Along with her, she had brought my future partner and Carm's half sister, Kaylita. Not only did we become partners, Kaylita and I became the best of friends. We busted many criminals. Except for one…~

"Where in the world do you think you're going?" Kaylita scolded. "Carmelita said to stay here and wait for further orders."

"I know that. But you can't expect me to stand around while something is going down at the museum. I'm going to check it out."

"No. I'm not going to let you."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll bring a radio with me just in case. If I need you for anything or if I find something, I'll let you know."

"Nice try, Annika. No way am I letting you get into more trouble by disobeying orders. Again."

I had to admit. She did have a point. Kaylita always did. She was like a conscience to me. And that conscience always tried to keep me from trouble. It never really worked very well.

"Come on Kaylita. Please?"

"No."

Drat. Still not budging.

"Why don't you come with me? I'll cover for you later. I'll make up a good excuse to give Carm. Fair enough?"

She sighed. "You're determined to go aren't you?"

I grinned. "Yes."

She shook her head. "Fine. But on one condition. You're taking the heat this time."

I laughed. "Deal." We shook hands then went toward the museum.

When we got there, nothing seemed out of the ordinary (Kaylita noted that). I looked around some more. I noticed the dome shape at the top had an opening. That would be the best way for a master thief to get in.

Kaylita and I made our way to the door.

"We're actually going to go through the front door?" Kaylita asked. "Come on! We have more style than that!"

I giggled. "Okay then. We'll go through the window."

We walked around the building to find a window into an office. I picked our way inside and looked around.

"This office is locked from the inside," I whispered. "It hasn't been tampered with yet from the looks of things. Even then they would have to come in from the outside to get in here."

Kaylita nodded.

I took out the key and opened the door into main room of the museum. High tech laser security at it's finest, yet thieves have come in. It was sad.

"Where to?" Kaylita asked.

I scanned the room again. I shut off the lasers to look at something on the floor. I bent down and scraped my fingers across it. Kaylita followed me.

"Some sort of… powder?" She asked.

"It looks like it… I don't think I want to know what it really is."

"Quite the detective, aren't you?" said a voice from the upper level.

I looked up to find a falcon with a bunch of rats with him. His grin sent shivers down my spine.

"I hope you don't mind, but the Onyx Links are what I want. And I will get them."

"You mean that strange necklace?" I questioned. "Sorry boys but you're out of luck. The Links are going to be late. They won't arrive until later."

The falcon laughed. "Alright then. We'll just take a replacement until it gets here. Men, take the Police Girl with us. Leave the other to rot here."

The rats got to work. They leaped over the railing and came straight for me. They tied Kaylita to a large pillar and knocked her out. As for me, they grabbed a hold of me and drugged me up. We were cornered with no escape… They sat me up against a pillar and let me sit there as they rummaged through the museum. I was powerless to do anything… I could feel the drugs overtaking me every moment. I felt so sleepy…

I stood up with the help of the pillar and pulled out my gun. I was shaking all over and couldn't control my own body movements… What could I do?

Suddenly, some glass broke from above me. Three more people dropped down. One was a raccoon with a cane, the others were a turtle with glasses and a giant hippo.

"Well, well… This is quite a party. How come we weren't invited?"

"Ah… Sly Cooper. I was afraid you wouldn't show up to see the show," the falcon taunted. "The Onyx Links aren't here yet. So we decided to play with the young Police Girl herself. Perhaps you could join us."

"No thanks, Santos," the raccoon replied. "I'd rather party with _you_ first if you don't mind." He looked over to Kaylita as she came to. "Well, if it isn't Carmelita's sister, Kaylita. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Cooper! What are you doing here?"

"Why else? To take the Links of course. Unfortunately, it seems they're not here."

"Cooper, I know that I'm police but-" before she could finish her sentence, the hippo untied her and helped her to her feet.

"I'm way ahead of you. Murray, get her out of here. This is about to get messy."

Murray threw her over his shoulder.

"Wait! Annika-!"

Sly turned to me and noticed how sick and brainless I looked. He grinned.

"We'll take care of her. That way I won't owe you. Deal?"

Kaylita nodded. Then Murray ran off with her. I still had my gun in hand and I was shaking.

Santos laughed. "What are you going to do Police Girl? Shoot me? I bet you're seeing double by now."

"Leave her be. She has no part in this."

Instead of listening to Cooper, I pulled out another gun. "I've got two guns…" I said groggily as I pointed them at Santos. "One for each of you…"

Cooper chuckled. "You've got to admit, for a drugged up Interpol officer she's still up to fighting."

Santos scoffed. "So what? Even without the drugs she wasn't up to par with me."

"Don't worry. I'm sure she will be soon. Bentley, help her walk and get her out of the room."

"Alright."

The turtle came over to me and took away my guns gently then helped me into the next room. He sat me against the wall.

"Don't worry," he assured me. "Your partner will be okay. Murray won't let anything happen to her. I promise. And Sly will take care of everything else."


	2. Heist 2

"And Sly will take care of everything else."

I could hardly understand him. My head was spinning. All I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. Every time I would slouch over, Bentley would help me to sit up again.

Moments later, Sly walked into the room.

"How is she Bentley?" He asked worriedly. He knelt down to me to look at me.

"I don't know. She seems kinda… Half conscious."

"It's amazing that she's still awake from all the drugs. They practically messed her up…" He pulled out a handkerchief and dampened it in one of the water fountains. Then he pulled me closer to him so he could wipe my face. The cold water felt so good against my hot skin. I closed my eyes.

"Bentley, we have to take her with us until the drugs have run their course."

"WHAT? Are you insane? We can't do that!"

I felt him grab me under my arms then slip his other arm under my knees.

"What else do you want me to do? We can't just leave her here. Besides, Murray was taking Kaylita to Interpol HQ. Carmelita might've heard about what went down here tonight. She'll be showing up here any minute."

At that moment, I leaned against his chest and fell asleep…

~Sly

Right as expected, Carmelita showed up. So we made our quick getaway through the museum's top window. We had decided to take the Police Girl to the safehouse with us. There, we met back up with Murray and decided to take a break. Bentley made a sort of bed for her to lay in. Just a few blankets and a single pillow. She was very peaceful… She slept for what seemed hours on end… This red panda that showed up out of no where and was now sleeping in front of me… Who was she really?

Finally, she began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open. She gripped her head tightly.

"My head…" she murmured, "it hurts…"

"That happens sometimes when you're drugged," I said. "It's depends on what drugs are used. Unfortunately for you, they used so many that it might take a while to get over."

She stared at me. She still had that half-dazed look in her eyes.

"Why?" she asked suddenly. "Why did you help me? And how does Kaylita know you? Better yet… Who are you…?"

I smiled gently. "Let's just say my profession runs into Interpol a lot. As for my name… It's Sly Cooper."

"Cooper… So… You're a thief…?" She smiled weakly. "Finally… Something interesting for once…"

I chuckled. "You really surprised me tonight. Standing up even after all the drugs they gave you. It was quite a shock for me."

"I'm surprised at myself to be honest…" Her smile faded. "Carm is going to be so angry with me… I might be put on probation because of my behavior… I have to make sure Kaylita doesn't get in trouble because of me…" She tried to get up.

I pushed her back down onto the blankets. "You can't go anywhere in the condition you're in. And it's a good thing too. This way you can't arrest me."

"But you did nothing wrong…"

"I'm still a wanted man though. Carmelita and I have a long history together."

"I see…"

"So… How long have you been in Interpol? I've never seen you around until tonight."

She turned away from my gaze. "I was asked to join three months ago. I became part of the police force in New York City. I was the youngest to join in their ranks. Thus, giving me the name 'Police Girl'. Carm had heard about me after the arrest of Archimedes and called the station. I met her in person and then became part of Interpol. Soon after, Kaylita became my official partner."

She ended her story. I could do nothing but sit there for a few moments.

"And you? Why did you become a thief?" This came out of nowhere.

I laughed. "It's in the family. I was simply the next one in line."

She stayed silent.

"I still don't know your name."

She looked at me and smiled. "It's Annika."

Just then, we heard a tone coming from Annika's radio. Then a voice came on.

"Annika? Are you there? It's Kaylita. Where are you? Give us a sign or something. Do you read me?"

"Kaylita…" Annika sighed with relief.

I got up from beside her to give her the radio. I handed it to her.

"Kaylita? It's Annika. Don't worry. I'm safe… Don't worry…"

"Annika! I'm so relieved! Where are you? Carmelita and I will come get you! Where are you, Annika?"

"You're in big trouble for not following orders! So you better tell us where you are!" I chuckled. Good ol' Carmelita. Her willful personality would never change.

Annika became downhearted when she heard that she was to be punished. "I understand… Carm…"

I took the radio from her. "Oh, come on. Give her some leeway Carmelita. It wasn't her fault-"

"Cooper! Why do you have Annika? Tell me where you are! NOW!"

"Calm down, sweetie. She's a little under the weather right now. When she gets to feeling better we'll let you know."

"Under the weather?" Kaylita sounded worried. "Is she alright? She's okay, right?"

"She's fine," I assured her. "A good night's sleep and she'll be well enough to walk by tomorrow."

"Are… Are you-"

"Gimme that!" cried Carmelita's voice in the background. This was about to get interesting… "Listen here, Cooper. One mark on Annika and you're toast, you hear me?"

"Turn it off…" Annika said softly. "I'm tired of their bickering and yelling."

I did just that and put it back on the table.

"Are you alright?"

"Just… sleepy…"

"Liar," I said bluntly. "I thought you enjoyed being a cop."

She shrugged sloppily. "It has its ups and downs."

I sighed. "Well, I'll keep my promise and bring you back in the morning. Get some sleep."

She nodded then closed her eyes.


	3. Heist 3

~Annika

I awoke to some light snoring in the corner. I sat up slowly so I wouldn't get dizzy. Then I noticed Sly sleeping in the corner in front of me. He must have stayed up all night to look after me. If anything, he probably only fell asleep an hour ago. He took care of me this whole time… Unfortunately, I had to get going. I was already in enough trouble as it is.

I got up from the bed and made my way to the door. I stopped when I felt a tug at my ankle and a little sound. I looked at my ankle to find a piece of string around it and a bell.

"Nice try. But you're not getting away that easily."

I looked at Cooper. He only had one eye open and he had a grin on his face. "Did you really think we would just let you walk out of here?"

I let out an exasperated sigh and sat down again. "Why are you doing this? I owe you now, I get it. Now let me go. Kaylita may be in trouble because of me."

He closed his eyes again but the grin was still visible. "You should of thought of that before you showed up at the museum last night."

"What do you want with me anyway? Look, if you want a thank you, fine. Thank you for taking care of me and for staying up all night to look after me. I appreciate it."

He chuckled. "You're getting desperate, aren't you Police Girl?"

"Are you saying there's something you're planning to do with me?"

He smirked. "We'll probably do a practical joke for Carmelita's sake. Murray and Bentley are in on it too. Come to think of it, they're setting it up now. I hope you understand, we're trying to stay on the good side of Interpol."

"You're kidding, right?" I questioned skeptically. "So you nurse me back to health and then you use me to get closer to Carmelita and give her _more_ reason to come after you? Lovely…"

"Are you implying that even thieves can't have fun? You disappoint me Police Girl."

"It's all part of the job, Cooper. Besides, I can't always let you have all the fun, right? At least some law should be in place here."

"You sound just like Carmelita."

"Scary, isn't it?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that. Just then, Murray and Bentley showed up. I was dreading every moment of this already. And it hasn't even started yet!

"It's all set up Sly," Bentley reported. "And we left a calling card on Carmelita's desk. They should show just as we finish up."

"Good. Blindfold her and tie her hands. Murray, you get to carry her."

"Sweet! This is going to be fun!"

At that, they tied me up and covered my eyes with a handkerchief. I was picked up and carried around like a burlap sack. To where, I had no idea. I knew one thing was for sure, I was about to find out in a few minutes.

Suddenly, the police sirens were beginning to surround us. I could hear them from miles away. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea what was going on. Murray put me down and held me steady.

"Cooper, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of an Interpol officer. Now hand over Annika peacefully."

It was Carmelita. At least she was trying to get me back. Probably the one thing I was still worried about was Cooper's "practical joke" that he hadn't sprung yet.

"Ah, Carmelita. You're looking as lovely as usual."

"Save it Cooper. Now give Annika back."

"But wait. I had hoped to give you a parting gift before I go. Watching the Police Girl walk the plank."

"You have got to be kidding!" I cried out. "You're playing pirates at a time like this? The police are about to arrest you and you want me to walk a plank?"

"You really think I would let you walk onto solid ground? Well, since you can't see, we're about fifty feet above the river."

"Fifty… Feet…" I breathed. I could hardly believe it. Actually, come to think of it, I didn't believe it. If it was really that high, Kaylita would be having a cow and a half. Unless…

"Well go on," Sly said as he nudged me with his cane. "Walk."

I walked slowly so that I would know where the edge was. I took one more step and noticed it was the end. I turned around toward Sly.

"Are you sure this is the only way?" I whimpered. "I mean… we could come up with a better solution than this, right?"

I felt the plank move a little. Apparently, someone was on it with me. A hand gripped my arm and I felt a cool breath against my ear. I shuddered.

"What exactly were you thinking?" Sly asked seductively.

My knees started to buckle. I wasn't exactly expecting anything like this at all. Then, I felt his other hand on my waist and making it's way up to my stomach. I bet my face was redder than a tomato. That's what the heat felt like anyway. I felt like I was on fire.

He let go of my arm and pushed me off the plank. In seconds I landed in a net of some sort. Sly was laughing from above me along with Murray and Bentley.

"The look on your face," Sly said between his laughs. "It was priceless!"

"Men! Retrieve Annika," Carmelita ordered. "As for Cooper, there are other chances to get him later."

After all that, all he wanted me to do was get caught in a net?

"Hey! That was dirty! How could you do this?"

"All in a day's work, Police Girl. See you around!"

I didn't hear anything else from him. One of Carmelita's men got me down from the netting and brought me down to a boat. He took off my blindfold and bondages. Carmelita found us shortly. Kaylita rushed to me and hugged me.

"Annika! I'm so glad you're okay! You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, Kaylita. I'm fine. Really."

"Well, that's good," Carmelita said as she stood in front of me.

I stood in front of her. "I'll save you the trouble of wasting your breath on me. I want to take full responsibility on what happened at the museum last night. Along with not being able to catch Sly Cooper. Therefore, my punishment should be four months of probation. If you find that agreeable of course."

She thought for a moment then smiled. I was quite surprised actually. I didn't think she would smile at the seriousness of the situation. Unless it was just me over thinking again.

"Actually, I find that a little _too_ agreeable. More like too tempting but, I think you're being too modest too. We'll make it two months instead of four. How's that?"

"But… Carmelita, I totally disobeyed orders."

"You came clean with it and told me straight out. That's the most important part. That and you're unharmed. Making it even better. In which case, you don't have too bad of a punishment. Now, you know the drill. Badge and cuffs before I change my mind."

I handed over my badge and handcuffs without a fuss.

"I suppose I should head home… I'll see you guys later then." At that, I ran off toward my apartment.


	4. Heist 4

A giant storm had come in the day before I was able to back to work. Just perfect. I could already tell this wasn't going to bode well. My boredom was beyond humanly possible for the past two months. That should already tell you something. Apparently things hadn't been very busy at Interpol either. I suppose Sly Cooper had taken a break after my embarrassment from last time. Geez… I would never be able to let that down…

There was a knock at the door. "Anya, it's Kaylita. Can I come in?"

"It's open!" I called.

Kaylita had given me occasional visits while I've been gone on my probation. Each time she had found me on my perch by the window. This time was no different.

"Watching the rain are we?" She teased.

I stayed silent. I watched the rain as it poured into the streets.

"I hope you're ready to go back to work," Kaylita said cheerfully. "Carm was looking for someone to talk to today. That, and she hasn't heard the full report on what happened at the museum a while back. She heard part of it from me but you were the victim of it all."

"I see…" I murmured. "Look, Kaylita, I don't mean to be rude. I should be resting up for tomor-" I heard police sirens from down the street.

"Kaylita, this is Carmelita, do you read?"

Kaylita picked up the radio. "This is Kaylita. What's up?"

"Cooper is back. We need you right away."

"Right. I'll be right there." She attached the radio to her belt. "Sorry, Annika. I'll see you later." She rushed out the door in seconds.

As for me, I just sat there watching the rain. Just then, I saw a shadow hop by. And then there was a tapping at the other side of my window. I walked over and found Sly Cooper hanging onto the latch of the window. He unlocked it and let himself in then closed it behind him. He was sopping wet from the storm.

"What do you think you're doing? You're going to get me in more trouble. Get out!"

"You'd really just shove someone out like that? Besides, they lost my trail halfway down the street. There's no way that they would suspect me being here."

"Who do you think you are? I told you to get out!"

He shoved me onto my bed and pinned me there. I tried to fight him off of me.

"Let go Cooper! You have no right to come into my home and hide out! Get away from me!"

"May I remind you that you still owe me from two months ago," he replied calmly. "I practically saved your life."

"And then you embarrassed me! You made me feel like an idiot! You toyed with me!"

"I won't argue with that."

I stopped squirming. The look in his eyes… it was so calm. He got up from the bed and sneezed. He must've been freezing from how wet he was. I sighed and got up.

"Here," I said as I took off his hat. "Let me help." I went into the closet and got a towel. I found some clothes that would fit him as well. "Go change into these. I'm pretty sure they'll fit since they're men's clothing."

He seemed kind of confused. I finally had to shove him into another room so he could change. Moments later, he came out of the room. I got his wet clothes and threw them into the dryer.

"If I may ask," he said with a toothy grin, "why do you have men's clothes?"

"Why does that even matter?"

He started to look around.

"What now?"

"Where did you put my cane?"

"It's on the bed. Why?"

"Just making sure…"

There was a long silence. I had no idea what to say. He just showed up out of nowhere and I am taking care of him. What am I thinking? I'm helping out a thief that I'm supposed to arrest!

"So… Uh… Do you want something to drink or eat?"

He sneezed again then laughed. "Something warm would be nice."

"Do you like hot cocoa?"

He nodded. I got to work on heating the milk and putting in the cocoa mix. I handed him a coffee cup.

"Thanks." He blew at it a little then took a sip. "How do I know that you won't arrest me or call Carmelita on me? You're still part of Interpol, after all."

"True. But you forget, I'm on probation. That, and like you said before, I owe you from two months ago. Therefore, I can't do anything to arrest you or try to turn you in."

I blew at my own hot cocoa and sipped from it.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"About the clothes?" I smiled. "They're much more comfortable to walk around the house in seeing how they're twice my size."

He chuckled a little but it faded quickly. "Is that the actual story?"

"Not really…" I murmured. He looked at me.

"Then why?"

I sighed and looked out the window again. "They're a reminder, in a way."

"A reminder?"

I nodded. "Sort of… They remind me of why I'm still here and why… I even became a cop in the first place…"

He looked at me in a way that… Somehow he knew I was thinking about old memories.

"I didn't mean to pry…" He said. "I was just asking."

"Well, since you asked… See, my parents died in a car crash when I was little. I was never put in an orphanage. Instead, I was thrown into the streets of New York. You could imagine how I felt; hungry, alone, cold, afraid… I would even have to run from the cops because of how many street sweeps they did. But one night… I was caught by one of the policemen. I was so scared that I didn't even fight him. He was quite surprised to see someone so young on the street. He couldn't turn me in. He didn't have any children of his own and had never had a family before so, he adopted me. His name was Tyga."

I paused for a moment to sip at my cocoa.

"For a while, Tyga had to dress me up in boys' clothing to make sure he wouldn't get in trouble. Kind of like the ones I'm wearing. As I grew older, it got harder to conceal it." I laughed. "So, Tyga took it upon himself to teach me how to become part of the police. I even went to school for criminal justice. In all honesty… It didn't feel quite right. Even so, I went through with it. I had become so good with it that I was automatically recommended into the force. It was quite a shock for everyone. But, I enjoyed it and that's all that mattered."

I drank more of my cocoa until it was empty. Then I took my cup into the kitchen to put in the sink.

"What ever happened to him?" Sly asked solemnly.


	5. Heist 5

"What ever happened to him?" Sly asked solemnly.

I walked back into the room and sat at my window. "There was a drive-by shooting in one of the neighborhoods that Tyga was patrolling. He went to see if all the people in the basketball court were okay when it was over. Another car came by with more gunman. He was shot five times in the back protecting one of the other teenagers. We didn't get there in time to help him. He died in my arms that night…"

I looked at Sly when I had finished. He had a look of a cross between mad and upset. I couldn't quite read it. He hadn't drunk any of his cocoa the whole time I had told my story. He noticed me looking at him.

"Sorry. I don't really know what to say… I'm sorry for what happened to your friend."

I shrugged. "It was kinda funny actually. After the funeral, I went into the stores the next day to shop for men's clothing. I had worn them so long that I couldn't be without them. That's why I have them."

He smiled. "So you stayed with being a cop? But if it didn't feel right, why did you continue to do it?"

"I don't know… I guess it's because Tyga had worked so hard to get me where I am now. I don't want to let him down."

"I think that's your problem," Sly said bluntly. "You're keeping yourself in the past. If you don't work toward your future, where do you expect to end up? You won't get anywhere by wallowing in your past." The whole time he told me this he was just looking down at his cup, tracing the rim with his thumb.

"And what about you?" I asked. "I've told you my story. I think it's only fair that you tell me yours."

He grinned. "My story is boring. I'm sure I would put you to sleep."

I smiled too. "Try me. I'm sure the great thief has an interesting tale."

"Well, it really isn't all that great. You already know it's in the family. The Cooper Clan was actually quite well known for their thieving reputation. My parents weren't any better off than yours unfortunately. The Fiendish Five came into my home and killed my parents, putting me into an orphanage. I guess it wasn't all bad. That's how I met Murray and Bentley. We've been best friends ever since."

"I'm jealous. I only had Tyga as a true friend in New York. The others were friends too but, not as much as him. I'm lucky Kaylita came around when she did. And Carmelita as well. I don't know what I could've done without them."

He finished his cocoa then took it into the kitchen. I followed him in.

"So… How do you want to go about this?" I asked. "Do I have to let you stay the night or do you want to leave now? I'm sure your clothes are dry."

He chuckled. "Is the Police Girl offering me to stay? How sweet."

"I could always throw you out along with your cane and clothes. Or better, I could call Carmelita right now and tell her where you are."

"You're technically still on probation."

"But you never know when Kaylita will drop by. She _is_ my best friend. She gives me unexpected visits sometimes."

"Well, would you rather me get sick after I had been in the rain or get caught by Interpol? Your choice."

He plopped down in a chair and kept that playful grin on his face. I wanted to smack him so that grin would go away.

I finally gave up. "Fine. Stay if you want. But you're sleeping on the couch. Don't even think about coming into my room either. I'm off probation starting tomorrow. I won't hesitate to arrest you."

I went into the hall closet and brought out some blankets and a pillow for the couch. I threw them at his face.

"There. Now go to bed."

"That's no way to treat a guest."

"Did I hurt your feelings? I'll be sure to call an ambulance in the morning."

I shut the door to my room and went off to bed.

~Sly

Even after she went to bed, I couldn't get to sleep. I didn't know what could be keeping me up. Guilt, maybe? Was I guilty because I could say nothing more to her? She told me something that she hadn't told anyone else -a hard, sad memory- and I could say nothing more to her? Geez… Could I be any more heartless?

I got up from the couch and went to the laundry room to get my clothes. I then went into her room to find my cane. There she was, lying in her bed fast asleep. My cane was at the end of her bed. As I reached for it, she shifted. When she stopped, I grabbed it and stepped out of the room. I tiptoed over to the window and undid the latch. Before I could leave, I noticed her standing at her doorway.

"I hope you didn't come to stop me Police Girl," I said harshly.

"So you're really leaving. Even while it's still pouring outside?"

I stepped down from the window sill and sighed.

"Are you really that desperate to keep me here?"

She shrugged sloppily. She was still half asleep. "Not particularly. I was just wondering if you were _that_ worried about me arresting you tomorrow."

"Not really."

"I see… Have fun then."

She walked back into her room.

_Come on, say something to her!_

"Annika," I called.

She came out of her room. "What?"

"Thank you… For your hospitality. And for not turning me in."

Her eyes widened. She regained her composure quickly. "Don't get any ideas. And don't think that I will let you do this again."

I grinned. "I wouldn't dream of it." At that I leapt out into the stormy night.


	6. Heist 6

~Annika

I had finally been allowed to come back to Interpol the next day. Carmelita and Kaylita waited for me at the door.

"Welcome back, Annika," Carm said as she handed me my cuffs and badge.

"Thanks. It feels good. You wouldn't believe how brainless I would be if you had acted upon my offer."

She chuckled a little. "I'm glad I didn't. I had no one else to talk to other than the other officers and such. You're usually the one who keeps up a good conversation. Other than Kaylita of course."

I smiled. "It's good to hear that I was actually wanted back."

It didn't really turn out to be that great. I was led to my desk and given three 50 foot stacks of papers. Shift work… Yippee… Well, as long as I was back to work, I couldn't complain. I would catch myself looking out the window at the wet streets just thinking about what happened last night with Sly Cooper. It still kinda bothered me that I opened up to him without giving it a second thought… Something about him just… Pulled me in…

As I was going through the papers, I spotted a few things that interested me. Reports about a gang called the Fiendish Five. These reports had Sly Cooper's name all over them as well as newspaper clippings and photos. Didn't he mention something about this gang last night?

Kaylita noticed that I was engrossed in some of the reports and came over.

"What do you have there, Annika? Old stuff?"

"No, actually, this was within the last few years. Do you think Carm will know anything about it?"

"I'm sure she would. She was involved with that case."

My eyes widened. "Are you serious?" I started to flip through some more and noticed that some of the clippings had a picture of Carmelita with one of the gang members. "I guess you're right… Did she ever mention it to you?"

"She would tell me stories. Before you came along she would go on frequent rants about Cooper and his gang. She would sometimes bring up old stuff that happened months before."

"Oh…"

Carmelita walked in with a stern look on her face. "My ears are burning. Are you two talking about me?"

I got up from the desk and showed her the reports I had found in the stack. She read over them and smirked.

"I wonder why these were in the stack…" She looked at me. "Let me guess, you're curious, right?"

I nodded. She sighed heavily.

"These reports were the first big time heist done by the Cooper Gang. Slipped through my fingers every time. This heist was to find the pages of a book Cooper had obtained from his late father. He had also gone in to fight an old time enemy of his family. Clockwerk." She said the last name with a hint of disdain.

"That isn't all, is it?" I asked.

"Of course not. The heist was dealing with the Fiendish Five. Bad news for any who crossed their path. Save for Sly Cooper and I. Cooper was the one who dealt with them. I only brought them to justice in the end."

"I see…" I was kinda confused. I knew Carmelita wasn't telling the whole story. Maybe she just felt I wasn't ready yet or something… Whatever her reason, I couldn't let it bother me too much.

After Carm and Kaylita had left, I left for home as well. Upon arriving at my apartment, I noticed that my door had been forced open. I tiptoed in to see who had come in. Sitting on my chair, was Santos, ready for revenge.

"Why, Miss Police Girl, it's good to see you again," he sneered. "I'm glad you finally came home. I've been waiting for hours."

"It better be important. Otherwise," I pulled out my pistol, "I will have to ask you nicely to get out."

"Now now, is that any way to treat guests?"

"Guests?"

Rats came flooding in from the other rooms. I should've known… They disarmed me and tied my hands together. They even made me get on my knees in front of Santos.

"What do you want from me?" I questioned icily.

"What any other criminal wants. Revenge." He made it sound like it was a game. "You're going to help me get the Onyx Links before Sly Cooper does. And then, we'll dispose of you quickly and painlessly."

"Sounds great…" I replied sarcastically.

So, without any flair whatsoever, they dragged me to the museum. Unfortunately, as soon as we got there, the Links were already gone.

"What? Where are they?" Santos bellowed.

"Looking for these?" I knew that voice anywhere. We looked up to find Sly Cooper sitting on the railing of the upper level with that grin of his. "They're quite lovely if I do say so myself. I think I may find a lady to give them to."

"Hand them over Cooper! Or I'll be sure to smash you this time around."

"I'd like to see you try."

During their war of threats, I managed to untie myself in a few seconds. I pulled out my pistol and stuck the barrel to the chin of one of the rats holding onto me.

"I suggest you all just get along," I said.

The rats around me disbanded seeing how I had one of their own at gun point. I put the pistol down from the rat's chin.

"My problem isn't with you. It's your boss I'm after. So why don't you small time crooks scram before I decide to go after you too." After they left, I aimed my pistol at Santos. "Now then, time for our party. Hey Cooper, do you want to have him? Or should I take the pleasure of handing him over to Carmelita?"

He jumped down from the upper level to stand beside me. "I don't know. I like the sound of giving him to Interpol. But I also like the sound of getting him myself. Why not both?"

I grinned. I put my pistol back into it's holster. I gestured toward Santos and bowed to Cooper. "After you."

Cooper got to work. In no time, Santos was lying on the ground unconscious and busted up.

"Not as subtle as I'd hope you'd be, but it works," I commented. The police sirens were coming down the street. I sighed. "You'd better get out of here Cooper."

"What about you?"

"I thought about what you said to me last night. And I think you were right… I need to stop dwelling in my past and move on. And I plan to do it. My way."

He smiled. He handed me the links. "Here. I think you should return them. There is always another time to steal it."

I took them without hesitation. Then, he leaped to the upper level. Carmelita and Kaylita came in ready to kick some arse. They put their weapons down when they noticed Santos on the ground.

"What happened?" Carmelita demanded.

I handed her the links. "Santos tried to steal the links. Now he can be behind bars for the rest of his life."

Kaylita patted me on the back. "I'm proud of you Annika. Maybe you'll get some recognition for this."

"Actually Kaylita, I have something I need to tell you." Carmelita and Kaylita turned to me. "I don't think I'm ready for this job at Interpol yet. I wish to return to New York as a normal police officer until I think I can handle a real job at Interpol."

"You mean to take a vacation, right Annika?" Kaylita asked, a little down hearted.

"Not quite, Kaylita. I want to clear my head before I come back."

"You mean if you come back," Carm corrected me. "By doing this, you know it'll hurt you. There's always a chance that you won't be allowed back."

I already began handing her my cuffs and badge. "I'm completely aware of that. It's a chance I'm going to take. I'll book a plane and everything. I'm ready to go back to New York."

"Annika… This is so sudden…" Kaylita was taking the news hard. "Why leave…?"

"Because it's something I need to do. I'll keep in touch. I promise."

Kaylita hugged me tightly. "Okay… If you say you must then you should go."

When Kaylita let go of me, I handed my pistol, badge and cuffs to Carmelita. "I should go home and start packing. I'll give you a call before I officially go."

I left them after that.


	7. Heist 7

~Sly

I couldn't believe Annika was doing this… That wasn't what I meant at all! How on earth could she be so impulsive? What in the world was she thinking?

By the time I had made it to her window, she had already brought out some boxes to pack up with. I reached the tip of my cane inside to undo the latch then hopped in. She knew right away I was here.

"I could hear you trying to sneak in from a mile away, Sly Cooper," she called from the other room. "What do you want?"

"We need to talk," I answered simply.

She walked into the room I was in. "Trying to stop me so soon?" She grinned. "How sweet."

"What are you thinking? This isn't what I meant by getting over your past!"

"Look, I told you I was doing it my way. And I plan to do just that."

"By quitting your job at Interpol? Annika, do you even hear yourself? How is this supposed to help you? If anything it'll hurt you in the long run."

"So you came here just to say that you're worried about my job? If that's all you're here for then leave."

She went back to packing. I leaned on the wall while she started to put clothes in a suitcase.

"So… What's the real reason you're leaving?"

"To find myself. I wasn't kidding when I said being a cop didn't feel quite right…"

I watched as she packed. To be honest, I couldn't bear to see her do this. It was heart wrenching yet… I didn't look or walk away from her.

"You're just going to walk away? Is that it?" I asked in a low voice. "What do you expect to find?"

She shrugged without turning to me. "I don't know. But whatever I find… I hope it explains why nothing I do feels right."

She walked over to another box and put some more stuff in it. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how much more of this I could take.

"Is there anything I can do to talk you into staying?"

She looked up at me. "You're genuinely worried about me, aren't you?" She got to her feet and stood before me. "Why? You hardly know me and yet you're trying so hard to keep me here."

I sighed. "Because I realized that you had opened up to me and told me something that no one else knew about you. It means a lot to me…"

She paused for a moment then she realized what I was talking about. She shook her head. "Just because you know something that intimate about me doesn't mean you have any right to hold anything over my head."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I said softly.

She went back to packing. I finally gave in and walked over to the window.

"Annika," she looked up at me. "I sincerely hope that you find what you're looking for." At that, I leapt out into the night.

~Annika

He left me after that. I didn't linger on it for too long. I had too much to do. After awhile, my doorbell rang. I took a moment from my packing to go see who it was. To my surprise, it was a mailman holding a package.

"Good evening ma'am. Miss Annika, yes?"

I nodded.

"This is yours."

He handed the box to me and gave me a quick nod. "You have a great night ma'am."

"You as well," I replied. I was completely confused. I don't remember ordering anything…

I quickly took it to the living room and opened it. Inside was a book held together with a Velcro strap and an envelope with my name on it in writing that I knew very well. I opened the letter and began to tear up a little as I read it…

_"Dear Annika,_

_I hope that this letter finds you well. When this reaches you, I will either be dead or some other fate has befallen me. Nevertheless, this will make it to you as your mother had planned. This package contains something of great importance; your mother's diary. Read it completely and don't miss a single page. There is so much to tell you and so little time to prepare you for what is coming for you. Read this letter carefully, Annika. You will soon see how much knowing your family lineage will change you forever…"_


	8. Heist 8

~Sly, 6 months later

"Get back here, Ringtail!" Carmelita cried after me.

I darted across the rooftops enjoying every moment of our cat-and-mouse play. Half a year had come and gone in the blink of an eye. And no word from Annika…

Funny how she always came back into my mind at the worst times. Since she left, Kaylita stayed at Interpol and did shift-work all day. She refused to go out and do crime control with her sister. I've only went to see Kaylita in her office once or twice. When I would ask her if she's heard from Annika, her answer would be the same.

"No Cooper, I haven't heard from her. Now leave before I decide to arrest you."

Of course, she never made a move to arrest me. And she seemed even less interested that I was even there. She really missed Annika a lot. I guess, in some part of me, so did I…

I ran into an alley to get away from Carmelita. She was quickly deterred with my sudden disappearance and went back to base. I took my prize and went back to the hideout.

"Welcome back, Sly," Bentley greeted as I walked in. "Another successful heist."

"As always," I said. "Anything new on Thiefnet?"

"Actually… There's something on here about a new thief somewhere in France pulling quite a few big jobs on their own. He's becoming very famous."

I scoffed. "We'll see how well he does in Paris."

Just as I had said that, we heard the sirens go across town again. Bentley and I stepped out of the hideout to see what was going down. Sure enough, there was a shadow of a person hopping across the rooftops. Bentley and I exchanged glances.

"I'll do a little recon and let you know what's going on."

Bentley nodded then I went after the newcomer. It didn't take me long to catch up to him. He went into hiding in an enormous tree in the park. I followed him and hopped inside the foliage onto the branch beside him. Instead of a man like we had guessed, sitting on the branch was a woman wearing a mask and holding a police file.

I was shocked.

She stared at me intently. "May I help you?"

I shook my head to get rid of the shock. "Who are you? And why do you have a police file?"

"Because it's mine," she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "This thief thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be…"

That last bit surprised me. "You mean… You just started?"

She shrugged. "Sort of. I've been training myself for the last few months. How ridiculous it is…"

"What are you talking about?" I asked her.

She looked up at me. Something about her was so familiar…

"I don't mean to ramble," she said softly. She got to her feet and smiled. "It was great seeing you again, Sly Cooper." She ran off at that.

I was in complete surprise. She knew who I was. Seeing me again? Have she and I met before?

~Annika

I arrived home later than I thought I would. As soon as I stepped through the door, I grabbed my mother's diary and sifted through it.

"_~~/~~/~~_

_I ran into Cooper again tonight. I'm not sure what to think of him and his gang. McSweeney seemed nice enough. As for M… He gives me a bad feeling every time I meet him. Nevertheless, tonight's encounter was actually quite interesting. Bill tells me that I shouldn't get involved with Cooper. Of course, Bill is only trying to protect me. It is only natural that he would try to keep me from him._

_In any case, Cooper had asked me tonight if I was involved with anyone. I only told him that I was involved with my work. He laughed then asked me about Bill. When I told him that Bill was my bodyguard, he admitted that he was surprised that I hadn't found someone. I could only laugh at that. He was being ludicrous. What a dumb thing to say and yet… I couldn't help but agree. Who was being dumb now? Somehow, I was developing feelings for the competition. How absurd… Bill is going to murder me when he finds out…"_

My poor mother… Falling for the enemy at the worst time… I took off my mask and took the holder out of my hair. My first heist in Paris was a success. I was back in Carm's and Sly's territory once more. Seeing Sly was quite a surprise. Although, I was glad to see him.

I grabbed the police file and thumbed through the pages. They didn't have a clear picture of me and I recognized the handwriting as Kaylita's. I turned a few pages then noticed a picture of another female thief and a profile…

**_Name: Crimson Reeves_**

**_Gender: Female_**

**_Alias: Crim Reeves_**

**_Occupation: Master Thief_**

**_Known Relatives: Daughter-Scarlett Reeves, Accomplice-Bill Hastings_**

**_CONNECTION?_**

Kaylita had figured it out. Of course, she didn't know that I was Crim Reeves' daughter but, she did discover that this 'new' phantom thief was connected to my late mother. I was impressed. Kaylita has way too much time on her hands now that she does desk work all the time. I felt for her…

Ever since I 'left' Paris to go back to the states, Kaylita became very depressed. I had dropped by her window a few days ago. I was heartbroken to see her that way. She looked so defeated. As for Carmelita, she seemed her usual self. Of course, looks are deceiving…

I put the file and my mother's diary away in a drawer along with my outfit and mask. I changed into a long sleeved, flannel shirt and shorts. Then, I heard a tapping on my window. I walked into the room to find Sly Cooper picking the latch of my window. He opened it and stepped inside my apartment.

"I see that you still like to try to sneak into my apartment," I said.

Sly smiled. "I thought that you might be back. How have you been?"

"I've been well. And yourself?"

"Same as always." He made himself at home in my big chair. "I got to meet a new thief tonight."

"Did you now?" I asked, playing it off as if I didn't know what he was talking about. "And?"

"She's a woman and she's all over Thiefnet. Apparently, she's been pulling heists on her own everywhere in France. It's insane."

"A woman? Doing all that on her own? I'm amazed."

He shot me a dirty look. "How can you be amazed at that?"

"How can you not be? Suddenly a lady thief shows up out of nowhere and is already well known by Interpol as well as other fellow thieves such as yourself, it's quite a feat. Besides, I'm sure Carmelita is going to have quite a blast trying to catch this one. As long as Carm has her sights set on this new thief, you have free reign."

"But what's the fun in that? The best part is the thrill of the chase. Don't you agree?"

I shrugged. "So, did you get to talk to her?"

He nodded. "A little. Not enough to get her name though. She made it seem like I had met her before…" He looked up at me. "And she managed to steal her police file. How she managed to do that, I have no idea. Especially with Kaylita in the office 24/7."

"You seem quite interested in her."

He got up from the chair. "Give me a break Annika. I really just want to know who she is and why she's here."

I looked over at the drawer with my things then back to him. "Cooper, if I told you why I think she's here, will you cut her some slack?"

This caught his attention. "I'm listening."

I cleared my throat and moved to the window seat. "You see, I believe it has something to do with the recent jailbreak of Archimedes."

"Archimedes?" Sly asked. "Who is Archimedes?"

"His arrest was what brought me to Interpol. At least, it was because I was the one who arrested him that Carmelita was so inclined to contact me. He had been involved with several organizations that we had managed to bust in the states, including the shipping of illegal spices and other such dealings. He had also bribed a sanction of the Mafia to cover his tracks. Of course, even with that sort of leverage, he had no escape. In the end, we caught him and he was put in jail where he belonged."

"And yet, he's somehow managed to escape," Sly said.

"Unfortunately, yes. I believe he's linked to our new thief. This is why he made it a priority to get out. Why he chose now of all times, I couldn't even fathom."

"Why are you telling me this, Annika?"

I looked over to him. "Because you're being framed, Sly. Someone is using your name to pull big time crimes that even you're not dumb enough to pull on your own. You have become top priority in the states and, I'm sure any day now, that information will be getting to Kaylita and Carmelita. As soon as that happens, even you won't be able to escape."

He went silent, trying to absorb all that I had told him.

"Why didn't we know about this?" He asked.

"The police and Interpol are trying to keep it on the down-low. You and Bentley wouldn't be able to hear about it on your website because no one knows. At least, not yet. I'm sure one of your thieving friends will hear about it sooner or later but, as of now, nobody knows."

"How did you find out?"

"One of my co-workers in New York, Murph, had called me. As soon as I knew, I came here."

He sat for a moment then, a realization hit him. "You came to warn me. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes. With Archimedes loose, Carmelita and Kaylita are in danger. I alone know his potential, of what he's capable of. If he decides to come here, which he will, he will grant no mercy. Period."

Sly looked up at me. "You're in danger too if that's the case." He got up from my chair and slipped his hand in mine. "You can't stay."

I gently pulled my hand away from him and turned away. "I have to pick up the mess I made… I won't let anyone else pay for what I've let loose…"

"Annika…"

I turned back to him. "No Sly… I have to do this. To save my friends…"

He seemed to understand then made his way back to the window. "Well… Now I have to work to clear my name. I'll see you around, Annika." He leapt out into the night.

After he was gone, I went to the drawer and pulled out my mask. "Yes you will. But not as Annika…"


	9. Heist 9

"_~~/~~/~~_

_Tonight I made away with a golden Aztec mask that I have had my eyes on for weeks. Tyga had let me get away with it this time, but next time, he warned, he would try his best to catch me. But, he seemed to change his mind real quick when I went to see him the next morning and told him the news. _

_I am pregnant._

_Bill was ecstatic. This would mean that I would have to take a break for a while. With me pregnant with my first child, I also had to finally make plans about things that were to possibly come. Such as, if I passed away unexpectedly. What would happen to my child then? Of course, Bill had mentioned that I make Tyga the Godfather of my child, so that, because Tyga was in the Police Force, he or she would be safe from my enemies. When I said something to Tyga about it, he told me that he was honored. I was beyond happy to hear him say that._

_As for Cooper, he seemed to be half disappointed and half happy for me. But, it seemed that his current wife was pregnant with his son. She was that far along that they already knew the gender of their baby? I didn't know if I was angry or sad… Probably a bit of both and maybe some happiness for them too… What if, his son and my child could meet one day? Perhaps when he decided to pass down the Thievious Raccoonous to his son… It would be perfect! I will speak to him about it the next I see him…"_

I finished reading my mother's diary entry and sighed. By this entry she was pregnant with me. It must have only been a few weeks…

In any case, today I was going to go see Kaylita for the first time in months. I made my way to the Interpol building and stopped at the front desk. The clerk looked up at me and gasped.

"Miss Annika! What a wonderful surprise! We haven't heard from you in months!"

I giggled. "It's good to see you too, Sasha. Kaylita wouldn't happen to be working would she?"

"Of course. Let me buzz her for you. She should be right down."

I thanked Sasha then sat down in one of the benches. I hadn't been sitting down long when Kaylita came down the hall. She ran to me and hugged me.

"Oh Annika! I've missed you so much!" she cried. "How have you been? What brought you back here? Is everything okay in New York?"

I laughed. "One at a time, Kay. I can only do so much."

"Sorry…" She stepped away to compose herself. "So, what brings you back to Paris?"

I took out a file from my bag. She took it then looked inside. She frowned.

"But he's in jail. Why would you give this to me?"

I shook my head. "That's where you're wrong. He's broken out and on a rampage. I was hoping that you could help me."

She looked around the lobby. "Follow me."

We went back to her office and sat down. She sifted through the file.

"What's going on Annika? Tell me everything."

I told her everything that I had told Sly. Him being framed, how Archimedes' arrest led me here, everything that I saw that needed to be explained, I told her.

She sat for a moment, thinking. "We have gotten some reports from the States saying that Sly Cooper had been pulling some heists there but… He's been here the last few months. Had he left, we would've known… Especially with how gung-ho my sister is about him. He wouldn't have so much as sneezed and we not know about it."

"Exactly," I said. "None of the stories match up."

Kaylita nodded. "Carmelita has been noticing too. Luckily she hasn't gone out of her way to try to track him to the U.S. when he's not even there…"

I'm so glad that I had Kaylita on my side. I'm even more glad that it was this easy to convince her. As for Carm, well, I wasn't so sure it would be this easy.

Just then, Carmelita walked into Kaylita's office and put a pile of papers on Kay's desk.

"What's all this?"

"History on that creep Archimedes," Carmelita replied. "I went as far back as I could possibly find. Which, as you can see, is A LOT of history."

She shocked me. "You already knew?"

She shook her head at me. "No. Cooper gave me a few clues to follow. It took me a bit but I put finally put the pieces together."

Of course he did… That jerk…

"Sister," Kaylita said to her, "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Carm laughed. "I love you too, Kay." She turned her attention to me. "It's good to see you Annika. How have you been?"

I smiled. "I'm alive. I actually came to warn you about Archimedes but it seems that our favorite thief is way ahead of me on telling you."

"Annika brought us his file from the New York precinct," Kaylita told her. "And since you did all this research, we're able to fill in the blanks in his file."

"Good," Carm said. "We'll get started then. It's too bad that Crim Reeves' file was stolen by the new thief. Otherwise we could finish her file as well."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

Carmelita turned to me with a sad look on her face. "Crim Reeves was murdered. We're not sure by who yet but, I'm almost positive that all this mess will give us the answers."

Murdered? I could've sworn that my mother was…

"I've heard of Crim Reeves," I said without giving away too much. "But I thought she had died by natural causes or a car crash or something."

Kaylita shook her head. "Nope. It turns out, someone had it in for her. Poor Reeves was murdered in cold blood and no one knows what happened to her young daughter. Nothing that we could dig up mentioned anything about what had happened to Scarlett, only a birth certificate. That's the only proof there was that Reeves even had a child, much less any kind of family."

Now _that_ was a juicy bit of information. Had I known sooner that my mother was murdered, I would've tracked down the killer as soon as possible. I reminded myself that revenge wasn't the answer. I came back for a more important reason than that. I came to help them take Archimedes down, even if it killed me.

"I'm sorry to hear it," I said softly.

"Me too," Kaylita said. "It makes me curious as to what happened to little Scarlett. I wonder if she's alive somewhere."

I shrugged and walked toward the door. "You never know. She may be right under our noses and least expected."

I left them at that. I now had more of a reason to take down my nemesis. He killed my mother and now he was going to pay dearly…


	10. Heist 10

I dashed across the rooftops and landed on top of Interpol HQ, waiting for Kaylita to leave for the night. I had left her a calling card amidst all the papers that Carmelita had given her to read over this morning in hopes that she would work with me, even as a thief. The chances were slim but, I still tried to keep hope in my best friend.

She walked out of Interpol warily, taking care that no one followed her to the pier. I followed her by rooftops to make sure that we weren't going to be compromised in any way. As soon as she got to the pier, I dropped into a nearby alley and walked up beside her.

"I'm glad that you could make it Miss Kaylita," I said to her. "I'm sorry that I asked to meet you so late."

"You must be the new thief that my sister has been chasing," she said coldly. "How could I possibly be of any use to _you_?"

Ouch… So much venom in that last word… It actually kind of made me sad to hear it from her of all people.

"I was actually hoping that you could help me with something."

She eyed me strangely. "Really? And how may I be of service?"

"First, a warning; When Archimedes finally comes here, I wish you and your sister to stay away. He is very dangerous and I wish no harm to come to anyone. And so, here is my favor… Carmelita is very strong-willed and I know that she will not heed my warning. She will be involved whether I like it or not. With that in mind, I had hoped that Interpol will help me to put him back where he belongs, whether in jail or in his grave. Interpol can also have all rights to the press that he was your prize and not to some no-name thief. And, if something were to happen to me during the upcoming scuffle, Interpol can also arrest me with no fight if I'm not able to run."

Kaylita thought it over for a moment. "That's a generous offer, Lady Thief. All of that just for the satisfaction of getting rid of Archimedes?"

I nodded. "That's all I've really wanted. I don't plan on doing anymore heists until he's gone. Even after, I may go in to early retirement."

"I see. What if I refuse?"

"I don't believe you will. The only thing that you should worry about is if and when Carmelita finds out. On the other hand, I don't think she'll care either way. She'll get the props for getting Archimedes and possibly get a nice big promotion for her 'hard work'. I believe that's enough incentive, don't you?"

If I knew Kaylita well enough, she would agree to do this. If I was wrong…

"You have a deal," she said finally. "I'm mad that you did your homework before you came to speak to me. Otherwise, you would've lost my support."

I grinned. "I knew that you wouldn't let me down. Now, I'm afraid that I must bid you adieu. Thank you for your help."

At that, I leapt into the night. Before I could make it to my apartment, Cooper had caught me from behind and pulled me into an alley. The one second that I let my guard down…

He had me pinned against the wall with no way to escape. Damn it…

"I see that you're consorting with the police," he said.

"I only did half the job. You already got to Carmelita, as I figured that you would," came my heated retort. "You jerk! I can't believe you would go straight to Carmelita about this! Of all people!"

"Look here, Crook, a good friend of mine warned me of what's to come. It was in my best interest to keep Carmelita up to date on impending dooms and such."

"In other words, you had to flirt with her some more when you should be making yourself scarce from the police. Gee, it's SO romantic of you to lead her on while she's giving chase."

He loosened his grip on me. "Oh, is that jealousy I hear?"

I took my chance and did a reversal to pin him with his own cane. "Not a chance, you horn-dog. Who could possibly be jealous of that gung-ho, crazy, police tramp when it seems that you're the only kind of scum that she can attract?"

He managed to get away of my hold of him and moved to pin my arm behind my body. "Now that's pushing it just a little bit. I suggest that you apologize or-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed the whip that hung from my belt. I lashed it onto his arm and pulled him over my head onto the ground in front of me. That definitely knocked the wind out of him.

"Keep pushing me, Cooper. I can scrap with the best of them just like you can." I released my whip from him. "Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until next time. I have bigger fish to fry."

I left him in the alley and quickly made it home before he could recuperate enough to come after me. The nerve of him! He called me a crook! How could he be so…

Just as I was thinking that, I heard the familiar knock on my window. I quickly put my things in my drawer and put one of my enormous shirts on. I got to the window in a huff.

"You're not coming in tonight!"

"What did I do now?" he whined.

"Stay out! So help me Cooper, I'll… I'll…"

He was quite confused. "Annika, is everything okay?"

"I said leave! You're not coming in!" I calmed down for a second and realized that he was bleeding from where I whipped him. "Oh… I didn't… I didn't realize…"

I opened the window and let him in. I immediately put him in my chair. I pushed up his sleeve to take a better look at his wound.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't think that…" I almost let it slip. I have to be more careful with my words. "What happened?"

"Remember the new thief we were talking about? I cornered her to talk to her and she took a whip to me. And she got so mad at me for warning Carmelita."

I ran off to go get a washcloth and some first-aid supplies. I began to clean the wound. He winced every now and again.

"I'm sorry that she did this to you."

He shook his head. "I handled her pretty bad. She was only defending herself."

I dressed the wound and sat there for a moment. I didn't mean to hurt him. I felt awful about it…

"Annika? Is everything okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes. At least, it will be once Archimedes is taken care of…"

"You're really losing sleep over this, aren't you?"

I sighed and looked away from him. "It's complicated."

He got up from the chair. "What are you not telling me, Annika? Be honest with me."

"I can't Sly… You'll understand when the time comes."

"And when will that be?"

I picked up the items I brought out to take care of his wound. "You should probably go. I need to get some sleep. Or try to."

He moved to the window and stopped. "Everything will be okay, Annika. I promise." He left me at that.

"I wouldn't be so sure…"

"_~~/~~/~~_

_I went to the doctor's today to find out the gender of my baby. I'm excited to say that I'm going to have a baby girl! Bill was so excited and then talked about how he was going to spoil her to death. As for Cooper… I had asked him about my daughter meeting his son. He didn't seem too keen on it at all. I don't see what the problem was at all. It wasn't like I was expecting a marriage proposal or anything. Just to let them meet when the time was right. Even then, he didn't seem too excited about it. How lame can you get?_

The next night I went out again. This time to investigate something that happened earlier that day. Someone or something had come and destroyed the museum and all the buildings around it. Interpol taped it off today so I couldn't get a very close look. Well, not as Annika anyway.

I scaled the rooftops and went to take a closer look. It was a complete disaster. Not only was the building destroyed, but everything in the museum was gone too. And everything around it was demolished. It was awful… And I knew who was behind it.

"You know what's going on here," Cooper said from behind me. "He's here isn't he."

"Yes," I murmured. "Archimedes…" I turned to him. "This is beyond you, Sly Cooper. Leave now and stay out of this."

He moved to corner me again. "Tell me what's going on. I need to know."

I looked at his arm. "I'd rather not whip you again. I felt bad enough that I had to take care of your wound after I've inflicted it on you."

He seemed surprised. "What do you mean? You didn't…" He trailed off then walked toward me. He reached up slowly and removed my mask. He stepped back as soon as he realized that it was me.

"Now you know," I said softly. "I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you. And I'm sorry that I said all those things about Carmelita. I promise I didn't mean them."

"Why? Why would you do this? This is your idea of getting over your past? By becoming a thief?"

"You don't understand! I found out some things Sly. Things that were hidden from me for very good reason."

"Then why? Why would you try to keep us out of this?"

"Because Archimedes killed my mother!"

The look of understanding fell on his face. Everything was now making more sense to him.

"Annika… I wish you would have told me. I could've helped…"

I shook my head. "I didn't want anyone else involved. Especially not my friends. I didn't want anything to happen to you all."

"How sweet," said a dark, sinister voice from behind us.

I froze when I realized who it was.


	11. Heist 11

An enormous shadow loomed over us. I turned to see the gargantuan owl that was Archimedes staring down at us with glowing red eyes. Sly and I took a step back.

"And so, we meet once again, Police Girl. How delightful."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," came my retort. "You're going back to jail where you belong."

He laughed at that. "Then I'll be taking you down with me. Just as I killed your mother."

"Why wait?" I questioned. "All these years, you could've broken out of jail and came to finish the job. Why keep me alive as long as you did?"

"I wanted to savor the moment," he replied. "My ancestors, for generations, failed to catch your thieving family. Once I kill you, they will be able to rest in peace. And I will forever be known as the one who diminished the Reeves Family!"

Sly moved to stand beside me. "Archimedes, is it possible that you were related to Clockwerk?"

Archimedes flinched in surprise. I was kind of shocked myself. Sly's arch-nemesis and mine… Are connected?

"How perceptive, Cooper. But unlike Clockwerk, I will be victorious. Clockwerk made himself out of metal just to kill off the Cooper Clan. Even he didn't finish the job." He grinned. "But just think… I have the last descendents of both clans right here…"

I pulled out my whip. "You will pay for what you've done." I lashed Archimedes around the neck.

He pulled and snapped my whip in two with ease.

He laughed. "You've got to do better than that, Police Girl."

He took to the air in seconds.

"Run!" Sly cried.

I did as I was told and dashed across the rooftops, dodging Archimedes as much as I could. Then, I tripped on one of the shingles on a roof. Archimedes cornered me.

"Is that all you've got, Police Girl?" He sneered.

He pinned me down with one of his talons, cutting my arms and legs. I screamed out in pain and struggled to get away from him. He laughed at me.

"You're pathetic! I expected more of the daughter of Crimson Reeves!" He picked me up and threw me into the next building.

He moved to get me again. Before he could grab me, Sly got in front of me and used his cane to push Archimedes back.

"What are you doing?" I cried. "Sly stop! This is my fight, not yours!"

He completely ignored me. "Bentley! Now!"

Suddenly, everything around us began to explode. While Archimedes was distracted, Sly grabbed me and ran for it. We made it to the docks in one piece. He let me go and looked at me. He frantically tried to help me with my wounds.

"There's no point," I said as I pushed him away. "It's not over yet."

"You've lost a lot of blood."

"I'll be fine!" I thought for a moment. "We need a plan… He's got the advantage no matter how I look at it…" I looked to the river behind us. I struggled to get to my feet. "We have to lure him to the river."

Sly nodded. "Understood."

Then we heard the sirens.

"Oh no…" I murmured. "Kaylita…"

"I'll see what I can do. No promises." Sly dashed off at that.

As soon as he left me, I froze at the sound of heavy footsteps and angry breathing.

"You wretch!" Archimedes screeched then kicked me aside.

Bloody feathers were everywhere.

"My wings! You destroyed my wings! You will pay for this!"

I ran to the dock that jutted out into the middle of the river. He chased me down and cornered me again. Behind me was the rushing water and in front of me was the huge, bloody Owl. It seemed so helpless…

"What now, Police Girl? No more tricks?"

"Quit talking and just be done with it already," I spat. "I'm tired of this cat and mouse crap."

"With pleasure."

He raised his talon to strike me down once and for all. As soon as his talon came down on me, I grabbed a wooden board and braced his talon against it.

"You're wasting your time! You _will_ die!"

"Not this time windbag!"

I put my feet against the board and used all of the strength I could muster to throw him into the water. He fought against the current trying his best to swim.

I left him to his own devices. Whether he ended up alive or dead, right then, I was too exhausted to care. I had lost so much blood… I was beginning to feel light-headed and weak. I laid down on the wood and stayed there. I slowly closed my eyes and listened. And then I just lost consciousness completely…

~Sly

I had managed to pull Kaylita aside and explain to her the situation. She was surprised to find out that Annika was the new thief. At the same time, she kind of knew deep down who Annika was. I made it to the dock to see if she was still there. Annika was unconscious on the dock. I ran over and picked her up.

"Cooper!" Kaylita called from the alley.

I took Annika to Kaylita. She looked Annika over.

"I've never seen her so bad… She needs a blood transfusion right away." She pulled out a case with a bunch of medical supplies in it. "Please tell me that you're willing to be the donor. You're the only match we have right now."

I rolled up my sleeve. "Have at it."

She quickly got work. In no time, Annika was all bandaged up and she got some of her color back in her face. I was just thankful that she was alive.

"What should we do now?" Kaylita asked. "If Carm catches her…"

I pulled her into my arms and held her for a moment.

"I'll take her with me for awhile. I could probably try to take her home but…"

"Don't take chances, Cooper. Just take her where you think she will be safe and can recover under the radar." She got to her feet. "I'll do what I can to find Archimedes and placate Carmelita. Just… Please take care of her…"

"I will," I assured her. "She'll be just fine."

I took off at that. When I got back to the hideout, Bentley met us at the door.

"Welcome back Sly. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright but…" I looked down at Annika. "Only time will tell for her."

Bentley nodded. "We'll make something for her to lay in. It won't be the most comfortable but… At least she'll be able to heal."

We got to work on making a bed for her to lay in and in no time she was resting peacefully. I sat against the wall beside her then drifted to sleep.

~Annika

I came to slowly and with a horrible, pounding headache. My body ached in so many places. I could hardly remember what had happened. I looked around where I had wound up. It was a small place and somehow oddly familiar. I shifted a little then a gentle hand lay on my shoulder.

"Don't move too much."

I looked above me to see Sly Cooper. He sat against the wall comfortably.

"How long have I been here?"

"Three days," he replied. "I was afraid that you weren't going to wake up."

"Was it that bad?"

He nodded. "I'm glad you're alive. Otherwise, that whole endeavor would have been for nothing."

I looked up at him. "Thank you Sly, for coming back for me. I… If there's anything that I can do…"

He shook his head. "Don't even worry about it. I just want you to recover. By the way, how are you feeling?"

I grimaced at that question. "Do you really have to ask? I feel like I've been hit by a truck full of cement blocks."

He laughed at that. "I'll get Bentley in a little bit to give you some pain meds. Unless you want them now."

"No no. I'm good for now. I just… What happened to Archimedes?"

"The sisters found him in the river. I assure you, you won't ever have to worry about him again."

"So he's dead…"

Sly nodded.

Well, I suppose that was one less thing to worry about. My mother's death wasn't in vain after all. I was happy it was finally over. One less shadow to haunt me and any loved ones I would gain in the future.

Sly moved to sit beside me. "I have a few questions of my own that I want to ask you if you're up to it."

"Of course. Anything," I told him. "It's only fair since you saved my life."

He took a deep breath. "I know now that Archimedes killed your mother. And, now that he is dead, your mother is now avenged and everything in your life should go back to normal. I guess what I really want to know is how you got to this point. What made you decide to become a thief in order to accomplish all of this?"

It was a tough question to answer. There was so much to tell him and I truly believed that Sly, of all people, deserved to know. I looked up at him.

"Six months ago, while I was packing to go back to the States, someone had delivered a package to my door. Inside was my mother's diary and a letter from Tyga."

"Tyga?" Sly asked. "But I thought-"

I nodded. "He is. Apparently, my mother had it planned to send that package to me at a certain time. When she died, it fell to Tyga to make sure it was there on time. Tyga's letter explained a lot about my family heritage and what my role would be. He, and my mother before me, knew that I would be the one to arrest Archimedes and when he would be out of jail. How they knew, I would never guess.

"After reading through my mother's diary, I found that Tyga was actually my Godfather. And the reason that he put me in boys' clothing was to hide me from Archimedes, not everyone else. He also put me through school for criminal justice so Archimedes would be none the wiser. Needless to say, it worked. Bill, my mother's partner, was not to be contacted until either Archimedes was dead or something had happened to Tyga."

"But, Tyga was dead. No one would be able to reach Bill," Sly said.

"And the only other person who knew of my existence was also murdered shortly after my mother was. To this day, Bill still has no idea that I'm alive. By now, I'm sure he's heard that my enemy is dead and only come to one conclusion. So, we'll see if he comes looking for me. Otherwise, I'll have to hunt him down myself."

Sly sat in silence for a moment then looked back to me.

"Your name was also changed, wasn't it? In order for them to effectively hide you, your name would have to be changed."

I smiled. "You're very right. I'm glad that you noticed that little tidbit. My real name is Scarlett Reeves. My mother is the famous Crimson Reeves or Crim, for short. It was Tyga who renamed me Annika when he found me."

Sly looked as if he had an epiphany.

"I seem to have unlocked a memory," I said jokingly.

"Annika… I was supposed to meet you that night. You and Crim were supposed to come to our house. It was all planned… Father showed me the Thievious Raccoonous and we were waiting for you. But you never came… And the Fiendish Five-"

"Killed your parents and left you to an orphanage," I answered for him. "That whole attack was planned as well. My mother and your family were all killed on the same night. In fact, your father was the only other person who knew who I was."

I sat up slowly and looked at Sly. "We were meant to meet each other Sly Cooper, believe or not. You and I are the last descendents of two great thieving families. My mother and your father planned for us to meet. Granted, it wasn't the way they had originally planned but… We still met somehow. Don't you think that means something?"

Sly was silent, most likely in shock from the whole thing.

"I… I don't know what to say…" He finally murmured. He turned to me. "You should get some more rest. Do you hurt?"

I laid down and nodded. "Yeah…"

Sly got to his feet. "I'll get Bentley to give you some meds. Get some rest Annika. I'll be back to check on you in a bit."

As soon as he left, I fell straight to sleep.


	12. Heist 12

~Sly

Bentley gave Annika some more pain meds after she had gone to sleep.

"She should be okay for a bit," Bentley reported.

"Can you keep an eye on her for me?" I asked him.

"Going to see Kaylita?"

I nodded. "She needs to know that Annika is okay and breathing. She will hunt me down if I don't."

I took off into the night. I stopped by Annika's first to pick up her mother's police file then headed down to the station. As expected, Kaylita was one of the few people there still filling out paperwork while her sister was napping. I tapped on the window to get her attention. She rushed over and let me in.

"Is Annika okay? How is she?" She asked as soon as I got through the window.

"Annika is safe," I assured her. "She woke up today for a little bit. So, I took the time that she had awake and asked her some things. But first," I handed her the file, "this belongs to you."

She took the file without question and looked through it to make sure nothing was missing. She looked up at me.

"Annika… She's Scarlett Reeves, isn't she?"

I was surprised. "You knew?"

She nodded slowly. "I figured that the new thief and Crim were connected somehow because she had only appeared when Archimedes had shown up again. When you told me that the thief was really Annika I… I just put two and two together. Now it makes perfect sense. But what I can't understand is why Archimedes let her go as a child… She was defenseless. She made a perfect target for him. It would've been an easy kill."

I shrugged. "We will never know, I suppose. But, Archimedes is dead. Maybe she'll go back to being the Police Girl we all know and love instead of the thief that she was born to be."

Kaylita shook her head at me. "I disagree. How could you possibly hope for that? Annika never felt right being a cop. I think she found a piece of herself that she had always been missing. It would be out of her character to deny it." She paused. "How did she even find out about her mother and her heritage anyway?"

"Funny you should ask that," I said as I moved to her desk to fumble with a paperweight. "She said that a package had come in the mail for her the night she had decided to go back. And, in that package, was her mother's personal diary as well as a letter from her old guardian."

"Do you mean Tyga?" She moved to put the file away then came back to her desk. "I only know a little about him. She didn't like being open about her past. Especially not when she was here working."

"Well then, that's news to me."

"How so?"

"Because she pretty much told me her whole life story in one night."

Kaylita's face dropped. "When was this…?"

"When she was on probation. It was pouring outside and she was home."

"And she let you in?"

"In more ways than one."

She sat in her chair in utter disbelief. It was shocking to me too. The fact that she would let me in on everything that had happened to her in the past instead of telling her best friend. To be honest, I didn't know what to tell Kaylita. Annika hadn't told her anything and then she finds out that, I, a thief, knew more about Annika than she did. You might as well had kicked poor Kay in the shin.

"Why wouldn't she tell me…?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I let go of the paperweight and went to stand in front of her. "I'm sure she had good reason, Kay. That, I'm almost positive of." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Cheer up okay? The good news is, the worst of the mess is over. Now she has to decide for herself what she wants to do."

Kaylita looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you Cooper. I really appreciate what you've done for me and Annika." She got up from her chair. "Can I ask one more favor of you?"

"Anything."

"Let me know when she's awake again? And, maybe you can tell me everything next time."

"Of course."

We went to the window and she let me out. I went straight back to the safehouse. As soon as I got in, I noticed that Annika was on her feet getting her things together.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Bentley just gave me some pain meds. So, while they are still working, I'm going to go see Kay."

I kept her from grabbing one of her things.

"Not a chance. You're going to reopen every wound on your body if you don't take it easy. You need to rest."

"I'll rest when I'm dead."

I stopped her again. "Annika, please. Go back and sleep it off. I'd rather not have to tie you down to the floor."

She arched a brow. "You would do that?"

"If that's what it takes to get you to stay in one place and take the time to heal, then yes. Yes I would."

She thought it over for a moment then went to sit in one of the chairs.

"You went to see her already, didn't you?"

I nodded. "I did."

"And?"

I moved to sit in the chair beside her. "She knows that you're Scarlett. I didn't even have to tell her."

"I have so much to explain to her…" she murmured. "There's so much that I kept hidden from her for so long…"

"You never told her about Tyga. How could you keep that from her and tell me instead?"

She looked up at me. "I told you because… Because I knew you would understand. And, at the time, even still, I feel like I could tell you anything and you would understand… Kaylita still had her sister while I had no family. I'll be honest and say I'm a little jealous of that. Hell, I'm even jealous of you because you have Murray and Bentley." She sighed. "I could probably tell her everything now. I really want to explain to her about everything. I'm not alone anymore. No matter how I felt, I never was. I know that now."

She poured her heart out to me again. It felt nice knowing that she could trust me. At the same time, I wondered why she was so comfortable. She had changed… Something in her changed because of the recent events that have occurred. She knew her heritage now. And with Archimedes' death, her mother was avenged and Annika could live without a constant shadow over her at every corner. She now had a new peace about her. And, somehow, I think I felt it too.

She looked over to me and smiled. "I'll do you a favor and go back to sleep like you want." She got up, came to me and removed my hat so that she could kiss my forehead. I was so dumbfounded by her action that I couldn't move. I didn't even realize that she had put my hat back on me.

"Goodnight, Sly Cooper."

She crawled back into her bed and fell right to sleep.

I wasn't quite sure how to feel about her little gift. But, at the time, I was just happy that she was herself again. I went and covered her with the blankets and smiled.

"Goodnight, Annika," I whispered and left it at that…

"_~~/~~/~~_

_My sweet baby girl is a week old today. My little Scarlett… As I write this, she sleeps in her little crib beside me. She's the most beautiful and precious thing that I had ever seen. Both Tyga and Bill had gotten a chance to hold her already while at the hospital. They have been coming by when they can to check on her and take turns with her so I can sleep. They are so good with her. _

_Cooper had also dropped by with his son Sly. Poor Sly didn't know how to react around Scarlett. My daughter reached out to the little raccoon immediately. Sly, of course, giggled then clung to his father's leg. Cooper then proceeded to ask me what my plan was for her. Naturally, she would continue my legacy as the next in line for the Reeves clan. I would make sure that Scarlett would have a wonderful life, no matter what happened. Then he went and picked her up. He fell in love with her instantly. He was under her spell. I kind of chuckled to myself. All Cooper could say was that she was beautiful. Other than that, he was completely speechless. In this same visit, Cooper finally agreed that our children could meet as soon Sly was old enough to be passed down the Thievious Raccoonous. Then, and only then, would Scarlett and Sly meet. I had finally won this round… Finally. _

~Annika

I woke up to Bentley toiling around in the safehouse. Sly wasn't too far off. He had fallen asleep in one of the chairs, laying his head in his arms on the table. It was too adorable. I put the blanket over him then left him be. I turned to Bentley.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked before I could say anything.

I smiled. "Much better. I don't feel any pain or anything right now. So, I guess that means that I can-"

"Not so fast," he said. "You're not going anywhere until you pass my inspection."

I sighed. I knew I wasn't going to pass this. In all honesty, I was still really sore and most of my cuts and scratches were still a hazard to my health. Bentley proceeded in changing my bandages and such. Of course, every time he dabbed at one with antiseptic, I winced. I looked back to Sly, who still slept soundly in the chair.

"How long has he been sleeping like that?" I asked.

"He's been asleep for awhile. He's quite exhausted from keeping watch on you and going to see Kaylita."

I flinched again from another cut-cleaning. "He went to see her again after I went to bed?"

Bentley nodded. "He's been keeping her up to date with how you're recovering and such. She worries about you, you know."

"I do…"

Poor Kaylita. I wish I had known sooner that she had gotten Sly to keep her posted on me. I felt so horrible for keeping her in the dark about everything. The one person I could trust more than anything but had told her nothing. Gosh, I'm such a despicable being…

"Bentley," I said softly. "Do you think I should tell Kaylita everything?"

"I think you should be honest with her," he said bluntly. "I think you owe her that, don't you? Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait a few more days. You're not quite healed enough to pay her a visit just yet."

I nodded. "Okay…"


	13. Heist 13

Sly She's in Love With A Thief .:~:. Because He Stole Her Heart Cooper Heist 13

When Sly finally woke up, Bentley and I were in the middle of a video game marathon. We were pretty evenly matched except when Bentley would type in one of his hacks. What a cheat… But, it was still fun nonetheless. Our game ended and I got up to see how Sly was doing.

"Good morning, sleepy head," I said. "How are you feeling?"

He yawned. "I'm still pretty tired. You two get loud when you're playing."

I giggled. "Bentley likes to cheat."

"I wasn't cheating!" Bentley cried from the back.

"We didn't mean to wake you."

He shook his head. "It will be alright. And how are you feeling?"

"I didn't pass Bentley's inspection this morning…" I sighed. "So you'll have to deal with me taking up space for a little bit longer."

"I'd rather that than you trying to hurt yourself again."

I went over and sat in one of the chairs. "So… I was thinking Sly…"

He went and sat in the chair across from me. "About?"

"About being honest with Kaylita. I've kept a lot of things from her. That's not really fair for her seeing how I've opened up to you and not her. Don't you think?"

"I completely agree. So, as soon as you're completely healed, you'll go see her right?"

Wait a second… He's a little too eager in me going to see her right away…

"What have you done, Sly? Have you already told her?"

There was a silence.

"You jerk! You did tell her already!" I literally leapt across the table and tackled him to the ground. We wrestled for a minute then Bentley broke us up.

We fixed the chairs so that Bentley could inspect me again to see if my wounds reopened.

Unfortunately for me, some of them did and I was promptly sent back to bed. Sly came and sat beside me.

"Was all that really necessary?"

"Yes. I'm mad at you. Why did you tell her?"

"Because she's worried about you, you dummy," he said. "I'd rather her not freak out when you're alive and kicking."

He did have a point…

"I'll go see her after I'm better. I promise."

"Good. Now get some rest. You'll have a lot of explaining to do for her."

A few days later I was back on my feet without any pain. I had thanked Sly and Bentley for taking care of me then headed straight to Interpol H.Q.. Kaylita was at her desk dealing with reports and other paperwork. As soon as I had walked up to her door, she motioned me in.

"How are you feeling, Annika? Or should I say, Scarlett Reeves?"

I smiled. "I see that you figured it out on your own."

"It wasn't too hard…"

There was a brief silence between us.

"Kaylita, I'm sorry that I wasn't honest with you," I said to her. "I know I've hurt you because of that and I'm…" I trailed off when she started shaking her head at me.

"I'm not angry with you Annika. In fact, I'm happy that you've found yourself again. I know that you took on Archimedes on your own so that Carm and I wouldn't get involved. I speak for the both of us when I say, thank you. You've done us a huge service in getting rid of him."

"Agreed," said a voice from the door.

I turned to see Carmelita. She had a smile on her face. She came to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"In fact, after I had gotten my promotion, I went back and told my superiors the truth. Scarlett Reeves, though a thief, is also a hero."

"But Carm…"

She shook her head at me. "Don't worry about it. That promotion will come again, believe it or not. I would rather stay working with my sister anyway. Contrary to popular belief, I kinda like her a little bit."

Kaylita laughed. "Love you too sis."

I chuckled. "So, does this mean Sly Cooper is off the hook as well."

"Hardly," Carmelita snorted. "He's still a wanted criminal. His name is cleared from all the supposed heists that he had pulled in the states though. If that helps at all."

"Of course it does."

"What do you plan on doing now?" Kaylita asked.

"What I told you before. I plan on going into an early retirement. I'm going back to New York to continue doing what I know best."

They both seemed surprised by this.

"What about Crim's legacy?" Carmelita asked.

"I'm still alive aren't I? I think she'll understand if I don't want to be part of the thieving ring anymore. Don't get me wrong, I will still condition myself to it and I won't deny that being a thief runs though my veins. I just won't be doing any heists. Not on my own anyway."

The sisters exchanged glances.

"I think you know already that we wish you the best," Carmelita said. "But just to be clear, as soon as you change your mind, neither of us will hesitate to take you down."

I smiled at that. "I look forward to it."

"We'll miss you Annika," Kaylita said.

"And I'll miss you guys too. Good luck on catching Cooper."

I went back home and packed what little that I brought with me. I went to my drawer that had my outfit and mask in it. As well as my mother's diary. I held it gingerly and opened it to the very last few pages. On those pages was a note addressed to me…

_My dearest Scarlett,_

_I hope this diary gets to you like it should. I hope after you've read all of its contents that you'll understand why I did what I did for you. I wanted to make sure that you were taken care of. I'm so sorry for any hardship that you've ever endured. I can only hope that Archimedes won't come after you. But, you are my daughter. I know that you, of all people, will be able to take him on when the time comes._

_And I'm also sorry that you never got to meet Sly when you two were kids. I'm sure that you've found him by now. I have no doubt that your paths have crossed in some way. You two are the last of the two greatest thieving clans in history. Both of you should work together in order to keep that pride alive._

_Please let Bill know that you're alive somehow. He loves you deeply because you are my daughter. Give him the peace of mind that he deserves. Bill always came over and put flowers over your crib when you were a baby. And Tyga… I hope he is well when you get this. Otherwise, I will see him wherever we end up. He was also a precious friend even though his job conflicted with mine. Teehee. I hope he has taken good care of you as he promised he would. _

_I love you my Scarlett with everything I have. I only regret that I couldn't watch you grow and be with you through everything. Just know that I'm always in your heart. _

_Love, your mother, __Crim_

My mother… If only she had lived long enough for me to really know and remember her… The things I could've learned from her…

I packed the diary along with my other things then heard my window lock being fumbled with. I knew immediately who it was. In no time, Sly Cooper came strolling in.

"I take it you saw Kaylita already."

I nodded. "Yes. I told them both my goodbyes as well. I'm going to go back to New York to work for awhile."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"I figured you'd come through my window anyway. No sense in telling you then when it would be just me and you later, right?"

He chuckled. "I suppose." He looked toward my mother's diary on top of a stack of things. "Did you read all of it?"

"Yes."

"How are you feeling?"

I sighed then smiled at him. "I feel accomplished. I'm also sad that she knew what her fate would be. She wrote her last words as if she knew that she was going to die. She was quite the strategist. She knew the outcome of most things simply from thinking everything out and what and predicting what was the most likely outcome. She knew that Archimedes would come for her. And… She knew that I would meet you eventually."

Sly smiled and knelt down to me. "I'm happy that you've found yourself, Annika. And I hope that whatever comes your way, that you'll be able to make it through like you always have."

I move to hug him. He seemed very surprised.

"Annika…?"

"Thank you Sly… For everything…" I looked up at him. "I mean it." I let go of him. He still sat there, unable to wrap his mind around what had just happened. I giggled.

"It's okay, Sly. It's only a hug."

He finally shook it off and cleared his throat.

"Okay. Well… I hope you have a safe flight and uh… Um… Take care of yourself." He left me at that.

I was somewhat disappointed. I was kind of hoping that he would say something more than that… I suppose that I had just caught him off guard is all.

In any case, I went back to my packing. That means going home. Again.


	14. Heist 14

~A year later

"Here you are Annika," my partner, Murph, said as he plopped down some papers on my desk. "By order of the Chief, you are to do all of this."

"Great," I groaned. "More paperwork…"

Murph laughed at me. "Don't worry Annika. Knowing you it'll be done in no time." He left me at that.

It had been a full year since the last time I had seen all my friends in Europe. Kaylita and I had managed to keep in contact through letter or a telephone call every once in while. Carmelita would sometimes send me a letter with Kay's whenever she wasn't chasing Sly Cooper around. As for Sly… I haven't heard much from or about him. Especially not here in the States. I really missed him most to be honest. He really made it possible for me to figure out my family history. I couldn't be more thankful for all he had done for me. And the death of Archimedes spread like wildfire all around the place. The Chief was just happy that he wouldn't have to risk us in trying to catch him anymore.

I had also managed to get in contact with Bill Hastings, my mother's partner in crime. I had located him after a few months of searching the Police Database. Thankfully he wasn't in jail. You'll find this surprising but he actually has his own business in catering. He brings a team and usually handles the drink bar and such for huge functions such as the ball that Interpol has each year. Crazy, right? He told me that it keeps him busy and honest for the most part. He still thinks about my mother a lot. Needless to say, he was so happy to hear from me. The fact that he finally knew that I was alive and well sent him into tears over the phone. Poor guy… I haven't met him yet but we've been making plans to meet up soon. He even offered me a job so that he could be closer to me and get to know me as a grown woman. I couldn't help but laugh and make it a possibility to accept his offer.

I started to fill out the paperwork when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in," I said without looking up.

"I see that they put you to the papers," the voice said from above me.

I glanced up to see Sly Cooper himself, the last person I expected. He was in regular clothes instead of his usual thieving wardrobe. For a moment I actually couldn't breathe. He was really here… I tried not to show anything.

"I'm surprised that Carla let you in." I thought for a moment. "Actually, I take that back. I'm not surprised at all. You sweet talk Carla and she's putty in your hands." I eyed him. "That's exactly what you did, isn't it?"

He chuckled. "Guilty as charged. You know me so well, Annika."

I looked back down at my paperwork. "Unfortunately I'm not quite sure why you're here. Care to enlighten me?" Why did that even matter? He was here after so long of not knowing where he was. Surely the reason he was here should have been the last thing on my mind.

He moved to sit in the chair in front of my desk.

"I need your help with something. Something big."

He sounded so serious… I immediately looked up at him.

"What's going on?"

He leaned closer to me. "There's this job that we are about to pull. And I need your help to pull it."

"And what could you possibly need my-"

"Murray, Bentley and I are pulling a team together to do this," he interrupted. "We're going after my inheritance. Right now, it's in the hands of Dr. M. We plan on taking what's rightfully mine back from him."

M… That name rang a bell.

"My mother mentioned M in her diary," I told him. "He used to run with your father back in the day right?"

Sly nodded.

"And again, why am not surprised?"

"In any case, we need your help."

I rubbed my brow. "Who do we have already?"

"Murray, Bentley and I to start. We recently picked up the Guru from Australia."

"His specialty?" I asked.

"Mind control and he speaks to animals."

I was quite impressed.

"Who else do you need?"

"An RC specialist, explosives-"

"What? What do you need explosives for?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I told you, it's a big job. Dr. M has the island locked up tighter than Fort Knox. There is no way that me and the boys can get there on our own."

"Whoa, wait a second. Just what kind of inheritance are we talking about here?"

Sly was silent for a moment. "Well… It's known as the Cooper Vault."

"Are you serious…? We're going after a vault?"

He nodded.

"You must be out of your ever loving mind if you think that I'm going to go on a suicide mission with you."

He pouted playfully at me. "It's not even a little bit tempting?"

"Not even a little."

Who am I kidding? It was VERY tempting.

"Please, Annika? It would mean everything to me. Besides, you'll be able to see Kaylita after a year of being without her."

I went back to my paperwork. "I'm not doing it, Sly."

I heard him sigh and get up from the chair.

"If you change your mind, we'll be at Liberty Island." He left at that.

What a mess… Just when I was getting back into a routine, he throws a wrench in the works like he always has… Not that I mind though. It was kind of nice to see him asking me for help and not the other way around. Hell, just seeing him was amazing.

I had to make a phone call…

I dialed in the number on my office phone. On the first ring they picked up.

"Hello?" the voice answered on the other side of the phone.

"Bill? It's Scarlett."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything is fine I promise. I actually just got a visit from Sly Cooper."

"Really?" he seemed very intrigued by what I told him. "And what did he say?"

I sighed. "He wants me to go on a huge job with him and a few others. I'm not too keen on the idea of going after M and retrieving Sly's inheritance."

"I understand," Bill replied. "I wouldn't be all excited about it either. Why come to you?"

"Because he knows he can count on me. I want to help but at the same time-"

"Go," he said simply.

I was surprised. "What?"

"Go with him, Scarlett. He's going to need you. And, quite frankly, there hasn't been a phone call yet that he wasn't mentioned in."

I blushed at that. "But I could get-"

"I have no doubt that you'll be fine. You have too much of your mother in you to not be. Besides, Sly won't let you get hurt. I have faith."

"You're a much better person than I am then…"

Bill chuckled. "Go to him. Give him a chance. Give yourself a chance."

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks Bill. You're the best."

"Anytime sweetie."

I hung up with him after that.

I sat back in my chair and looked at the paperwork on my desk. As far as I was concerned, there was only one thing left to do…

~Sly

We waited patiently for Annika to show up. Actually, it was more like deeply hoping that she would join us. Bentley seemed to think that she wouldn't be showing up at all. But I had faith… How could she refuse?

"Sly," Bentley said as he rolled up behind me. "We can't wait for her. We have to go."

"She'll come," I said.

"Sly-"

"She'll come," I repeated in a harder tone.

Sure enough, we heard the roar of a small jet-ski. Just as I said she would, she came flying by on the small watercraft. She got to the dock and met us.

True to her mother, she was dressed in her old outfit and her mask as well. It wasn't the same though. This mask was much simpler. She still looked amazing...

"I'm glad you could make it," I said to her. "We were getting worried."

"I'm sorry to keep you all waiting," she said. "I know we have a deadline to keep." She turned to Bentley. "Right Bentley?"

Bentley nodded. "We have no time to lose."

Bentley and Murray went ahead of us to our small boat. I looked to Annika.

"You have no idea how grateful I am that you came," I said. I reached up to her mask and took it off of her. "You don't need that. I promise."

A light blush tinged her cheeks. "I'd feel better with it on…"

When she tried reaching for it, I pulled it away and shook my head. "You look fine without it."

She gave up on the mask and turned to follow Murray and Bentley. I wanted to say so much more to her. I wanted to tell her how happy I was to see her. And to tell her how much I've thought about her in the last year…

"Sly?" she said. She turned to me and smiled. "Thank you for coming to find me."

My heart fluttered. All I could do was smile back.

"Anytime."

With that, we both went to the boat. Beginning our big heist together.


	15. Heist 15

Note: Sorry guys! I reloaded it after I realized how many typos were in here! Most of them should be fixed. If I have to, I'll reload it again. lol. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>~Annika<p>

On the way to our next destination, Sly gave me the low-down on all that had happened. Apparently their trip to Australia was quite eventful. He had said something about a "Mask of Dark Earth" or whatever. Of course, the Guru had to tell me more about it since Sly was failing to explain very well. The Guru was quite interesting and it was obvious that he and Murray were pretty close.

While in Australia, Carmelita got possessed by the mask and became gigantic. It was a pretty wild story but, somehow it was kind of believable.

As soon as we had gotten to Holland, Bentley sat down and tried to make some plans on how to get into the Cooper Vault. Nothing he drew up made it possible. So, Bentley found someone named Penelope on Thiefnet. When Bentley tried to ask for her help, she politely declined and said the she worked for only "the best". Which brings us to her boss, The Black Baron. He was a big time Dogfight Champion and had even set up his own international competition called ACES.

A few days later, Penelope replied to us with a counter offer. If we could defeat the Black Baron she would believe that we not just some knock-off thieves and worth her time. With that in mind, Murray and Bentley got to work with building a plane while Sly and I got our pilot's license the fast way. Not that I would be able to fly since we only had one plane. I would be Sly's backup in case something happened. As well as everybody's cover if they get caught. It was unlikely to happen but, you never know. While Sly and the others were doing their shenanigans, I would be hanging around the other pilots so that no suspicion arose.

Sly and I donned our disguises and made our way into the meeting area. As soon as we got in, he pulled out his binocu-com to talk to Bentley. I listened in with my own earpiece.

"If we're going to succeed in this year's ACES competition we'll need to learn who we're flying against," Bentley told us.

"What? They keep the flight roster a secret?" Sly asked.

"I'm sure it has a lot to do with making sure there's no craziness going on before the dogfight," I said quietly.

"You would be correct, Annika. In years past, competitors would go out at night and sabotage each other's planes."

Sly grinned. "That makes sense. They keep it a secret so nobody knows who to mess with."

"Precisely. Look Sly, you're a good pilot but we only have one plane… and you'll be up there against dozens of bogeys."

Sly made a funny face. "You know… I would usually make some sarcastic remark on how 'overwhelmed I am about your confidence in me' but… Those are some grim odds… And, you know I'm always up for some sabotage."

"Glad to hear it. Now, the flight roster is kept secret from the other pilots but not the event staff."

"So we have a mole on the inside?" I asked.

"Our 'friend' Dimitri has been hired on to do some color commentary during the dogfights. He'll know where the roster's hidden. Annika, keep an eye out for anyone who gets suspicious while Sly is sweet talking Dimitri. If anything starts between us and the other pilots, we'll get kicked out of the competition."

"In other words, we play nice. And then we can blow each other to bits at 300 feet."

Bentley disconnected from us. Sly turned to me.

"You heard the man…"

I nodded. "You take care of Dimitri. I've got your back."

He went to it. I wandered around the lobby, scoping out the competition and keeping an eye out for Sly. Just as Sly was finishing up, the Black Baron made his appearance.

"I bid you all a most flamboyant welcome my esteemed comrades of the skies," he announced. "Welcome, welcome to another year of the ACES competition. We've got teams here from across the globe. Canada, Belgium, Ecuador, Iceland, Korea and many, many more. Not the least of which is last year's deadly runner-up, Team Muggshot."

In one of the balconies was an enormous bulldog.

"This time we're goin' to drill you guys fulla holes!"

Some of the pilots chuckled at that threat.

"Now, we all know in year's past we all know that some teams engaged in a little 'good-natured' late night hi-jinx."

A few pilots had a few things to say about that.

"Yes, yes that was all so VERY funny," the Baron continued. "But no more! You know the rules, no one, absolutely NO ONE is to leave the hotel after sunset. If my guards catch you outside you will be beaten to within an inch of your life. No exceptions! This WILL BE a fair competition. I bid you all an exuberant and exaggerated farewell pilots... Tonight, sleep like geese and tomorrow… soar like eagles!"

There was quite a roar from that last comment. The Baron took his leave and Sly came to me.

"I don't like the sound of all that mess he just said…" I murmured.

"You sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Sly asked.

I nodded. "Bentley mentioned that there will be holograms of you guys in the beds in the hotel room. You all should be well covered."

"Thank you again for your help Annika…"

I waved it off. "Don't. While you guys are working, I'll be sleeping. Granted, I'll keep an ear and an eye out for a little bit just to make sure that no one is planning anything."

He nodded to me then made his way out the front door.

About an hour later, Bentley radioed me.

"Annika, have you heard anything yet?"

"Not yet. What's going on?"

"We have the line-up. We're facing Team Iceland and Team Belgium tomorrow. This may get a little sticky…"

"Excellent. This is where the sabotage begins, right?"

"Yes. We're going to frame them and pit them against each other."

"Good. I'll hang here and cover the tracks. It should be an easy job. Most of the pilots here have already retired to their rooms. I'll let you know if I catch whiff of anything."

"Alright. Murray and I will be in later to steal a hanky from one of Team Belgium's pilots."

I looked around and spotted a few members of Team Belgium.

"You're in luck, Wizard. A few of them are still hanging around."

"Good then. Keep us posted."

He hung up with me. I made myself comfy on one of the couches. Just as Bentley had said, he and Murray came in a little later and managed to get one of the handkerchiefs from the pilot. It was pretty silly looking but they got what they needed and left without so much as a scuffle. Murray stuck around for a little bit to make sure no suspicion arose then left quietly.

A little later, I was hearing some low whispers about some team coming tonight to make a mess of our hangar. I immediately radioed Bentley.

"Bentley, do you hear me? Some rumors are flying around."

"Yes, so I've been informed. Penelope heard as well and shot me an email," he said.

I pouted a little. "What's the point of me being here if your Gal Pal is getting to you first?"

"You know why Annika. Just hang out there, we have it covered here. Go ahead and get some rest."

I sighed then yawned. "Will do. I'll meet you at the hangar in the morning."

I got a few Zs in and left the hotel to go to the hangar. The gang was already getting Sly supped up and ready to go for the dogfight.

"Good morning," I said as I came in. "How are you feeling Sly?"

He grinned. "Pretty good actually. I'm pretty hyped.

"Glad to hear it." I smiled back at him. "I have no doubt that you'll do just fine."

We loaded the plane up to the flying deck and Sly let it rip. He was in the air with the others. Just as Bentley had planned, Belgium and Iceland were taking each other down instead of going after Sly. All Sly had to do was shoot down the stragglers. And in no time he was named the winner. I literally jumped up and down with excitement. He landed the plane and came straight to me.

"That was awesome! I can't believe it!" I cried as I hugged him. "You were amazing up there!"

He hugged me back. "You know I aim to please."

"Alright you two," Bentley said. "We have more pressing matters at hand. Time for briefing."

We all went into the hangar so Bentley could give us our next plan of action. I would still be hanging out at the hotel until the finals while everyone else took out the competition once more. The rules of the finals were a little different this time. It's all about taking down the defending champ. In other words, the Baron was who we needed to focus. Taking out Muggshot would be a cinch. Bentley would challenge Muggshot to a fist fight while Sly got Carmelita to follow him to town square. In other words, ol' Carm would be taking out Muggshot for us while Sly dealt with the Baron. It seemed easy enough.

Along with all that mess, Bentley would drug an enormous wolf so that the Guru could take care of some of the local guards. Again, it seemed easy enough as long as everything went without a hitch. Not only would we get the title but Penelope would join us as well. I felt good about Bentley's plan. I would still be covering for them at the hotel but at least he would update me on what was going on.

As soon as we got done briefing, we got to work. I went back to my position at the hotel, lounging in one of the chairs waiting for Bentley to come and challenge Muggshot. The big guy was there as planned. And right on cue, Bentley wheeled himself in and challenged him. I kind of giggled to myself. It was silly looking to see someone like Bentley challenging Muggshot.

I saw Muggshot agree to his challenge then Bentley made his leave.

"Nice going Bentley," I said into the com. "He took the bait. Sly, how are things with Carmelita?"

"It would be better if two cops weren't here," he said.

Two cops? That only meant one thing.

"Kaylita is here?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry. They have each other to cover their backs. They'll be fine."

I nodded. "Alright. Keep me posted."

A little bit later, I heard from Bentley.

"Muggshot is taken care of and the gunmen are down."

"Nice job guys!" I said.

"Annika, come to the hangar," he said. "We have to get ready for the next dogfight."

"On the way."

I made it to the hanger quickly. Sly was already ready there getting ready to fly again while Murray, Bentley and the Guru did some last minute preparations.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him. I helped put on his flight jacket and buttoned it for him.

"I'm a little more nervous this time."

"I know you'll do fine." I pat his jacket. "Go kick some butt out there."

He mock saluted me then launched the plane.

I watched from below as Sly went straight for the Baron. Just as the Baron seemed to be going down, the windmill propeller went through threw two of the Baron's gun-blimps. He then landed on a much larger plane. After a few minutes, the huge plane landed. When we went to see what happened, we found Sly unharmed and Penelope in the Baron's suit. But before anything could be explained to us, the guys and I were ushered to the winner's circle. Not that it really mattered to me. Sly and the others did all the work while I stood by and covered their tracks. It was all their glory. And, quite honestly, I didn't mind at all.

There was quite a bit of awkwardness between Penelope and Bentley. Apparently the pictures they had sent each other were a bit… Off. She had explained later that the suit was created to get by the strict age requirements for the dogfights. However, the Baron soon became famous and she found herself putting on the suit more often. But now that the Baron had lost, she was able to join the team, in which she did without hesitation. We vacationed for a week in Holland then moved on to our next mission. We were off to China to get our demolitions specialist.


	16. Heist 16

After talking to Bentley, he had come to the conclusion that our next specialist would be someone named the Panda King. I of course knew nothing about this Panda King but by the way Sly was acting, he obviously didn't like him very much. Sly later explained to me that he had fought the Panda King before to regain a page of the Thievious Raccoonus. It had me kind of worried that Sly would be totally against it. But, Bentley managed to talk him into it. If Sly wanted into that vault, we needed Panda King's help.

As far as we knew, Panda King was now a monk somewhere high in the mountains. Sly still wasn't convinced. He was very uneasy all the way to China.

When we got there, we surveyed the area. It looked like there was no way to get up there.

"Stay sharp, team," Sly said. "For all we know the Panda King is as dangerous as ever."

"How can you say that?" Bentley argued. "Look at him, have you every seen someone more at peace with the world?"

"I hate to say it, Sly but… I'm going to have to agree with Bentley on this one," I said.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be in a talkative mood. So let's go."

"Be realistic Sly. He's obviously in a deep meditative trance," Bentley said. "Hmmm… It may take some doing but I think I've figured out a way to get the team up there to his shrine."

"Good. The walk up here tired me out. I don't want to turn around now. Man, I miss the van…" Murray said.

I smiled at him. "It'll be alright, Murray. Lead the way, Wizard."

"Right then."

Bentley gave us all jobs to do. As soon as Penelope was done with hers, she turned to Sly.

"There you go Sly," she said. "Hope it's everything you could have wished for."

Hearing that made me pause. Are you serious? The way she said it made me a little worried. Then again…

Sly wasn't sure how to react.

"Uh… Thanks. It looks great."

I tried to hold my laugh in. She made it horribly and painfully obvious that she liked him. And poor Bentley saw it too.

"Sly, isn't it time that you climbed up there and joined Murray?" he said in an irritated tone.

Sly went to join up with Murray. I followed after him and waited for everyone else to follow. Then they coaxed the Panda King awake.

He wasn't too happy about the idea of joining the gang. Luckily for us, the Guru managed to really hit it off with him. Even then, the whole deal was pretty shaky. He was pretty wired as he told us about how he lost his daughter. She was kidnapped by some general from the northern mountains and was being forced into marrying him. I, of course, immediately reached out to him. It took Sly and the others a few minutes to agree with me on this one. In return for saving his daughter, he would join us in the vault job. It seemed like a win win to me. It would take awhile to get Sly on board but, give him a little while he would eventually understand that all this was necessary.

Our plan of action for this one was first for everyone to get jobs in order to keep tabs on the wedding details. Bentley went in first in hopes of being a wedding coordinator. I again would be hanging back until they needed me.

Bentley radioed to us.

"Sly, I need you out in the field. Tsao wants a photographer but in order for you to have the job you need to have some samples."

"Alright, I'll be right out." He turned to me.

"I'll be here until you need me," I quickly said to him.

He nodded to me then left.

A while later, we got word that it was a success. I went with the Panda King to hang out at one of the turrets that we would use for later. I watched him as he filled it up with fireworks.

"It's quite impressive," I complimented to him.

"Hm? How so?"

"Well, instead of using regular guns, you're using fireworks. It's different in a good way. Beautiful and dangerous."

He smiled at that. "I thank you Annika, for your kind words."

"Anytime, big guy. As far as I'm concerned, you're part of the team now."

There came in a radio conversation between Penelope and Murray about him saving his van. The meant that Panda King and I would have to cover him from the goons.

For an enormous panda with an even bigger grudge he carried, he was an awesome shot. We met up with Murray and Penelope.

"Great job, Murray! You saved the van!" Penelope cried.

Murray thanked the Panda King then went their separate ways. I stayed with the Panda King. I had grown very fond of him in only a few short hours. His love for Jing was so sweet. You could see it plainly on his face. She was his reason for fighting beside us, which made it all the better.

He didn't seem to mind me being around him. At first he was a little suspicious, thinking that Sly had put me with him just to make sure he didn't betray us. But, as I stayed with him, he seemed to relax a little and finally talked to me a little bit.

"So… Annika… How is it that you know Sly Cooper? Were you an enemy of his as well?"

"Not exactly. Before I found out that I'm part of a long line of thieves, I was part of Interpol. In fact, I worked beside Carmelita Fox and her sister, Kaylita Fox."

"Ah, yes. I know of them both," he replied.

I nodded to him. "I had a few run-ins with Sly. Then I was sent my mother's diary and found out that I was the last of the Reeves family."

"Truly?" he sounded surprised. "You are Crimson Reeves' daughter?"

Now that was something I wasn't quite expecting. "You know her?"

He nodded. "Yes. The night that we had come to kill Cooper, Archimedes was off to kill Crim Reeves that same night. We thought that you had perished with her."

"Hardly," I snorted. "And FYI, Archimedes is dead. I killed him myself."

"I see. And you are at peace with that?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a shock pistol nearby. I immediately knew who it was. I stepped out to see them both chasing after Sly. I radioed to him.

"Need any help down there?"

"Nope. They're doing what we need them to do. Just stay where you are."

"Roger that." I let him go and went back to Panda King.

"And now we wait…" I groaned.

Just as I had said that, Bentley came into our building himself.

"This is it, Panda King. We need you for a field mission. Sly's trying to break into a fireworks cache and he needs help."

"Fine. I will be there presently," Panda King said to him. "You may go."

Bentley left at that. Panda King turned to me.

"May I have a moment alone?"

I nodded. "Sure thing. I'll be right out here if you need anything."

As soon as I got outside, Bentley was waiting for me.

"We'll need you to hang back on this one," he said. "But we'll definitely need you for the next mission."

I nodded to him. "Of course. Always here when called."

As soon as he and the Panda King were done, he and I went to the top of Tsao's temple ready for the big shebang.

"We're in green light position," Sly said into the com. "Let's get a roll call."

"Ready," Bentley said first.

"In position," Penelope radioed.

"I'm pumped!" Murray called in.

The Guru also let us know that he was ready.

"I too stand ready," the Panda King said. "Even if we fail, it will have been and honorable effort. Jing King is not forgotten."

"Don't talk like that," I told him. "We will rescue her. You have my word."

Sly put a hand on my shoulder. "You ready?"

My heart skipped for a split second then I nodded to him. "When you are."

"Alright everyone. Let's go!"

I followed Sly into the temple.

"Alright you too, Penelope and Murray are depending on your second story work to be let in. They should be in position by the front door."

Sly went to let them in as I took a quick look around. As soon as Penelope walked in, I knew that she was going to say something to Sly.

"Opening a door for a lady," she said right on cue. "And they say chivalry is dead."

I rolled my eyes, mostly to myself, at the sheer ridiculousness of her hitting on Sly.

"I try to show my 'proper respect'," Sly replied.

And he had a good comeback for that? He had a comeback at all? I face-palmed myself. I couldn't believe that he… Oh wait. Yeah I could…

"You guys going to be okay in here? The security is tight."

"Yeah we're fine," Penelope assured him. "You and Annika need to get moving if you're going to make your rendezvous with the Panda King and the Guru."

"Always a slave to the schedule." He motioned to me and I went after him.

"The Panda King and the Guru are in position beneath the palace," Bentley instructed. "Once you're inside, they'll start blasting."

We quickly made our way to the palace. Sly left a calling card in front of the door then went inside. We found ourselves in a room full of Tsao's vase collection. I radioed the Panda King.

"We're here," I told him. "What's the plan?"

"The vases around you are used in an ancient Chinese technique to detect subterranean thieves," he explained to us. "Our tunneling to free Jing King will shake the palace."

"I get you," Sly said. "If any of the vases tip over, it'll trip an alarm."

"Correct. Don't allow any of them to fall. I am… putting my trust in you both."

Sly and I nodded to each other.

"I call this side," I said to Sly.

He frowned. "But that side a fewer vases."

"Exactly. That's what you get for flirting with Penelope on the job. Focus." I took my place and got ready to brace the vases.

As the Guru and the Panda King got to work, Sly and I did our best to keep the vases still.

"So… Are you jealous that I was flirting with Penelope?" He asked.

"Are you insane? This is not the time to be asking questions like that!"

"Just answer the question."

"You want the truth?"

"Of course I do."

"No, I'm not jealous of her. I'm mad at you for doing stupid things while we're trying to save Jing King. We're trying to save someone and you're flirting with Penelope instead!"

"So you are jealous," he teased.

Just before I could try to beat him to a pulp, the Panda King called in.

"Success! We are directly beneath the bridal chamber, just a few inches from Jing King."

Now it was Bentley's turn. He was going to lure Carmelita to the palace and get Carm to take Jing King's place. I went and hid myself in the rafters before she could show up. Sly, changed into his disguise of Tsao then completely faked a conversation with Bentley. Carm changed into an outfit and put herself into the bridal chamber. I went out through the roof to meet up with Sly.

As soon as I got out though, Tsao's temple was falling to pieces and below it was Kaylita.

"NO!" I cried. Without thinking I went to try to make it to her before the building could crush her.

Just before the temple hit the water to take Kaylita down with it, I got her out of the way but still fell into the freezing fluid. We got out as soon as possible.

"Annika!" Kaylita cried. "Why in the world would you do that? You could've been hurt!"

"Gee… Your welcome Kay, anytime. It's not like I just saved your life from an impending doom. I'd rather you live a little bit longer."

She smiled weakly as she shivered. "Thank you, Annika. I take it you've already ran into my wonderful sister?"

"Naturally. She thinks she's busting Sly but she'll still be happy with her catch methinks."

She managed a light giggle.

"In the meantime, you should go and warm up. I don't want you getting sick. It goes along with me wanting you to live a while longer."

She nodded. "You should go bundle up too."

"No worries there."

She ran off at that. Murray came and picked me up, taking me straight to the van to warm up. Sly and the others came swiftly and we made our getaway.

In the end, Carmelita and Kaylita managed to at least get Tsao behind bars if anything else. Needless to say, the people living nearby were happy to see him go. Jing King was left at her aunt's for safety and the Panda King willingly joined after that. Things were finally coming together…


	17. Heist 17

We got a message from Dimitri late one Saturday night. Sly had promised a favor to him back in Holland for helping us out with the flight roster. Needless to say, I was not pleased. I didn't think that someone like Sly and his gang racked up favors. Sly tried to tell me that it was a special situation but still…

In any case, without explaining anything, Dimitri had booked us passage to Blood Bath Bay. When I asked about it, Sly explained that is was populated with hermits who still keep up with the ways of their pirate forefathers. At the mention of pirates, I told him that I was out of this one. But, I stuck around to listen to Dimitri's request anyway.

He had told us about his grandfather, who was a well-known deep-sea diver and had made a fortune out of looting undersea wrecks. Unfortunately, a cutthroat by the name of Black Spot Pete, stole his loot as well as his diving gear. Retiring a broken man, he started a family instead. And Dimitri, growing up on his grandfather's stories, dreamed of one day recovering the gear. That was our task. Bentley was also thinking that if we do this, we would get a frog-man out of the deal. Which, I think, would be a great asset to the bigger job ahead.

As soon as we had found a safehouse, Sly had tried to get me to come with him on this mission.

"No thank you," I argued. "You're going to have to do this on your own."

"Come on, Annika," Sly said. "I could really use your help on this one."

I stayed firm. "No."

He shrugged at me. "Alright, suit yourself." He left us at that.

Bentley came to me. "You should really go with him."

"No thank you. I hate pirates. Do you know what pirates do to girls like me and Penelope?" I shivered at the thought. "That and they grant mercy to no one. You guys are walking into a death trap. I want to live a few more years if that's alright with you."

Bentley shook his head at me. "I can't believe you're passing this up."

I shrugged. "I just don't like pirates, okay? I'm content with sitting this one out."

Bentley finally gave up on trying to talk me into it and went to helping Sly. Sly was off to talk to Black Spot Pete. I guess the old coot wasn't working well with him so now Sly had to find a disguise. Not too hard for him.

After talking to Pete again, Sly had dug up some interesting information on the diving gear. Thus, another briefing.

The treasure would be found on Dagger Island, not far from where we currently were located. So, we were going to shanghai a ship to get there. Sly and Murray would go into the harbor and incapacitate any other ships that would follow us while Bentley and Penelope would go and steal the map from Captain Lefwee's keep. It seemed easy enough…

Everyone got to it. Since Bentley would be out in the field, I would be everyone's link to base. As long as I didn't have to deal with these pirates, I was just fine with that.

We had a few hitches in the plan. Penelope managed to get into trouble but luckily enough for her, Bentley was able to lead her back safely. As soon as they got in, Bentley went to checking her eyes. Something about blinding dust?

As for Sly and Murray, there mission was a complete success. As soon as they got back, Sly came to me.

"You missed all the fun, Annika," he teased.

"You go on with your bad self," I huffed. "You guys can finish this without my help. No pirates for this red panda. No way."

"Not even to help me go steal a ship?"

I paused and looked up at him. "No thanks. As tempting as that sounds…"

He shrugged then left me to my sulking. In a few minutes, we were called out and Murray went to rowing us over to the ship. As soon as everyone was below deck, I went over to Murray, Bentley, and Sly.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Once we raise the sails and get underway, it won't be long before someone on shore raises and alarm," Bentley said.

"No problem," Murray piped up. "We wasted that harbour patrol. The coast is clear."

"You guys did a great job but they still have cannons mounted up in Skull Keep. I figure it's long odds that they get gun crews into position before we're out of range... But it's worth mentioning."

I groaned. "I wish you had let us know that before now…"

"The let's make full sail for the mouth of the harbour," Sly said. "If you guys are ready, I say we do it now. Every second we dilly-dally just puts us more at risk."

"I second that motion," I told him nervously. "I'd rather get as far away from here as possible."

They all shook their heads at me.

"Of all things Annika… Pirates?" Sly teased me some more. "You singlehandedly took down your Arch-nemesis and you get all crazy about Pirates?"

"Nobody asked you!" I cried all embarrassed. "Just tell me where you need me."

We all got to work and managed to get the ship out of the harbour, in one piece, and to Dagger Island. Sly followed the map to Dimitri's grandfather's treasure and we all went to meet up with him. They pulled up the chest.

"Well Dimitri," Sly told him. "It's your loot, I think you should have the honor."

"I open with joy," Dimitri said in his strange 'hip' language. "You Cooper Gang is a tight groove." He pulled out the gear to show to all of us.

"It's so intricate," Penelope said in awe. "Your grandfather was an artist. I've never seen such fine craftsmanship."

"Yeah… It's all good and great," I mumbled. "Now let's get out of here before…"

Just before I could say that, some pirates came up behind me and Penelope and grabbed us. I knew this would happen…

"Avast Lubbers!" cried Lefwee. "Didn't think you could steal from the smartest man on the seven seas and not taste the repercussions! Har har har! I might have been late for the opening of the chest… but I'm just in time for the stealing of the gold!

"Let Penelope and Annika go," Sly demanded of him. "We can work out a deal."

I wished my hands were free so I could face-palm myself with such ludicrousness. They're Pirates. Obviously none of them understood that.

"Penelope be this lass's name. Purdy as a sonnet and what a rich scent from the wench's hair. And this one, Annika is it?" He paused for a moment to look at me. "So much fight and fire in her eyes, she does."

"Let's thump this chump!" Murray said.

"No! He'll hurt them!" Bentley cried. "This guy's a killer!"

"Away with ye!" Lefwee ordered. "Back to your ship. This gold is mine now or their deaths are yours… take your choice."

"Guys, we don't have any options here," Sly said. "Everyone back to the ship."

"Wait! You guys can't just leave us here!" Penelope cried.

"Do what he says, Penelope," Bentley told her. "Stay alive. I promise we'll save you and Annika."

"Oh please, don't worry about me," I said sarcastically. "You guys didn't listen to me in the first place like you should have…"

"Annika, you're not going to have a heart attack on us, are you?" Sly teased grimly.

"Hardly," I snorted. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." I saw the worried look on his face and I softened. "We'll be alright. Go do what you have to do. I have faith in you."

"Away with ye already!" Lefwee demanded. "Now!"

The guys left us with the blood-thirsty pirates and were pushed and dragged to Lefwee's ship. He took us back to Blood Bath Bay for a little bit then we sailed out again for a short time. Penelope and I were given dresses to wear and we were promptly thrown back into the brig so we wouldn't get out. What a drag…

"If only I had my tools…" she said as she examined the lock. "It would be easy to get out of here."

"We'd only be walking into more danger. There are way too many pirates up there for you and me to take on."

"Still…" She kept fiddling with the lock.

I watched as she worked the lock without her tools then sighed in frustration.

"There's something I want to ask you Penelope."

"Okay. Shoot."

"Why in the world would you like a guy like Sly?"

She stopped with the lock and looked to me. "Actually, I'm kind of turning my attention to someone else…"

"Really?" Thank goodness…

She nodded and went back to lock-picking. "Yeah. I think Bentley is more my speed."

"You know what? I completely agree with you. Bentley is definitely better for you."

She stopped again. "Oh I get it. You're in love with Sly, aren't you?"

I flushed madly and turned away. "It's not like that… Not really… I don't have a chance with him anyway. He likes Carmelita. Carmelita of all people! I love the woman to death but still…"

Penelope came and sat down next to me. "I'm sure he likes you too, Annika. I see how he looks at you from time to time. Especially when they had to leave us. He was genuinely worried about you."

I smiled at her. "Thanks Penelope. You know, Bentley has liked you for awhile. I'm glad you're finally seeing him that way."

"Me too," she blushed prettily.

Just then, some of the pirates and Lefwee came down to the brig.

"Row the Panda to Skull Keep," he ordered. "She and Cooper will meet a very explosive end together."

They yanked me away from Penelope and tied me up so they could easily transport me to land. The pirates carried me up to the Keep and gagged me. They also placed a bomb that they dressed up to look like Penelope on the other side of me. I had to warn Sly before we blew to smithereens.

Not long after, Sly came rushing in. He came to me first and took the gag out.

"Annika, I'm so glad you're-"

"What are you doing?" I cried. "It's a trap! Get out!"

He looked behind him the Penelope shaped bomb.

"Oh that Lefwee…" He quickly grabbed me from around my waist and pulled out his parachute. "Hold on tight."

The blast from the bomb sent us into the air. I held onto him for dear life as we sailed through the air to the ship. He sent us crashing into Lefwee as the pirate threw us overboard and into the water. I came up just fine then had to dive underneath for Sly.

"Are you alright?" I asked him.

He managed a nod. "Yeah. Just glad you could save me from a watery grave."

The giant squid, Crusher, who was befriended by the Guru, put us back on deck after Lefwee and Penelope's duel so we could help Bentley back into his chair.

It was finally over. Lefwee was beaten and out-smarted by our own genius, Bentley. Not only did he save Penelope but he had also gained a girlfriend in the process. Which, in all honesty, I was so glad for out of selfish reasons.

Dimitri "informed" us later that he would be our frog-man for the Cooper vault job. Not that anyone asked him to join but, still, he would be an asset to the team.

As I was talking to Sly later, we had noticed that the sisters hadn't come to join us in our shenanigans. Which was quite strange…

"I'm worried…" I said quietly. "Carmelita and Kaylita are usually here…"

"I'm sure they're fine," he assured me. "It was for the best, I think. I would hate to see either of them get kidnapped by pirates and dressed in… Flattering dresses."

I saw his devilish grin and realized that my dress had slipped a little and showed a little more cleavage than I wanted. I flushed a deep red.

"What the hell? How dare you!" I cried as I quickly tried to cover myself.

He laughed heartily then smiled at me.

"Annika… I just wanted to tell you again how happy I am that you came," he said. "Despite your fear of pirates, you've been a great help."

I saw the somber look on his face. "Are you scared?"

He shook his head. "Worried and anxious, but not scared. If anything I feel worse about pulling everyone into this. It will be a dangerous job. We don't know what could happen."

I felt for him. I wish there was something I could say or do to make it all right for him. I simply put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile.

"I believe in you Sly. I know you can do this. You're the last in the Cooper line. And most likely the best one yet. There's no way we'll fail." I cleared my throat and pulled away from him. "In the meantime though, I need to get out of this dress and back into my regular outfit. This thing is so cumbersome."

Sly chuckled. "Thanks Annika."

I waved it off and went below decks to change. My heart raced. This job was hard enough with me caring about Sly as much as I did. And his constant teasing…

If anything I was scared for him, for all of us. We had no idea what M was capable of. But, I would do anything in my power to keep Sly safe. Even if it killed me.


	18. Heist 18

We arrived at the island a few days later. Bentley made sure go over every detail of the job during briefing. He didn't spare anything. He made sure to go over escape routes should the job go wrong, explicit instructions to each of us for our own specific jobs… It took hours for him to explain everything to us. As the others cleared a path for Sly to the vault, I would shadow him all the way there, taking a different route but reaching the same destination. I was even given a new whip to work with for this mission. The plan was well thought out by our genius but, I couldn't help but have a horrible feeling about it. I had that nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I couldn't shake. I ignored it and went back to preparing for the task at hand.

Before the mission started, Sly came to me. He was very serious today. He knew everything and everyone was on the line. He was completely focused on this. His inheritance and our lives hung in the balance and he felt the weight of it today.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"Nervous," I said honestly. "I have this bad feeling but, I don't want to believe that we can't succeed. We have to succeed. We just have to."

He nodded to me. "Annika, I understand if you want to back out now-"

"No way," I interrupted him. "I've come too far to give up now. Just to be clear, had it been anyone else that asked me to pull a job like this, I would've said no. I did this for you and only you. I'm here to back you up no matter what. Okay?"

He smiled. "I'm counting on you to have my back in this."

"You have nothing to worry about then."

He chuckled then went to the upper deck.

I wanted to say so much to him. I wanted to tell him how I felt before anything crazy happened. I wanted so much to be with him… Even if he felt as much as he did for Carmelita… How could he ever hope to have a relationship with her when his job conflicted with hers so much? At least with me he could still do what he loved and what he was born to be. But I digress… He would never know how I feel. I'd hate to put that on him when it was obviously not thought about or wanted…

I followed him to the upper deck then made our way to the shore of Kaine Island. We took out some thugs then I took the high ground so I could follow him without making it conspicuous. Bentley radioed us as soon as we got to our places.

"This is it guys. The gang's assembled and in position. For the rest of the operation, you, Sly, are 'the ball'. Annika is 'the shadow' respectively."

"Roger Bentley. I'm starting my approach." Sly said. "Getting over these fortress walls shouldn't be a problem. We're running six by six here, make sure everyone's in sync."

"I hear that. Artillery, are you sure you can make that shot?"

"I endeavor not to miss," Panda King said.

"Excellent. Radio control?"

"In position," Penelope called in.

"Recovery team?"

"I'm pumped!" Same old Murray.

"Submersibles?"

"Showtime baby!" Dimitri answered.

"Telekinetics?"

The guru replied in his aboriginal language.

"Back up?"

"Let's do this thing," I said.

"Alright, it's the crime of the century and the ball's in motion!"

That was our cue to go. I followed Sly all the way through, taking care of some guards while the team cleared other obstacles away. I met Sly at a giant vent.

"Ball requesting door via Agent Monarch, over."

"Launching… Stand clear."

A firework shot through the sky and hit the vent door, blasting it to pieces. We ran in to find ourselves above M's lab. Dimitri shot through the glass to dismantle the lasers blocking our way then we made it on top of the elevator. We overheard the security code and quickly left the elevator to make it across to the vault. Sly put in the code to power down everything then went to see the vault. He put his cane in the slot in the front. As it was starting to open, a laser came from nowhere and closed it again.

"Cooper!" M cried. "No… You must be Sly Cooper, the new keeper of the cane. How I've longed for this."

"This vault belongs to the Cooper family," Sly said defiantly. "You're trespassing."

"No my naïve boy, _you're _trespassing. I've got the deed to this island. This fortress is mine. Everything here IS MINE. Which now includes the key to the vault. Hand over the cane."

"Sorry pal, family heirloom. Buy a knock-off at the gift shop."

Just as I thought that he would attack us, Bentley shot M with one of his darts from another roof. I didn't think I could ever be so happy to see that turtle.

"Quick! Let's regroup with the others!" He called to us. "Follow me!"

Sly pulled me forward and let me go first. M shot at us the whole way down. We made it through the flooded lab and through the tunnel before it completely collapsed behind us. The boat was just up ahead. We could make it…

Suddenly M dropped out of nowhere with a gargantuan mutant thing. It grabbed Bentley and flung him around a bit.

"No!" I screamed. "We have to do something!"

"It's no use!" Bentley cried. "Save yourselves!"

I watched as Sly lifted his cane into the air. "If he wants to eat… EAT THIS!"

He threw his cane and it landed in the beast's mouth, propping it open and letting go of Bentley. It stopped for a moment but then flung the cane from its mouth. The beast went straight for Sly and grabbed him. With its other hand, it flung it into me and pinned me against a rock face. I watched in horror as the monster was squeezing Sly to death. I couldn't get away to help him. I couldn't get out of the beast's grip in order to get to Sly. Poor Bentley was in a panic on what to do. How could this possibly be the end for us? There's so much I haven't done yet… I haven't met Bill face-to-face, I wanted to see Kaylita again… Most of all, I wanted to tell Sly how I felt about him. Regardless of how he felt about me, I wanted to at least let him know that I cared about him. Let him know that I loved him…

All seemed lost until I heard a shock pistol go off and saw some of the Interpol ape cops flying overhead. I managed to look over to see a small platform boat maneuvering itself in front of the monster. Carmelita and Kaylita aimed for the monster and began shooting away. The beast let go of me to fight back but kept a tight grip on Sly. Sly looked like he was out cold. The beast finally let him go and threw him into the ground. It chased after the sisters while me and the others checked on him. I propped his head up and held him. Bentley immediately came over to check his vitals.

"He's still breathing…?" Bentley sounded like he wasn't sure for a moment. "He's alive! Hang in there pal! You're going to be okay! We'll get you back to the ship and patch you up. Dimitri, help Annika with Sly. We have to get him to safety."

Dimitri silently helped me with carrying Sly back to the ship. I'm so happy the sisters came when they did. Otherwise… I tried not to think of what could've happened…

We got him to the ship and below deck. We laid him down and I went to place his head in my lap so he could be more comfortable. Bentley looked him over.

"He's suffered a major concussion I think," he said to me. "He's going to have to rest for awhile. There's nothing more we can do until he wakes up."

"Bentley, you have to get his cane," I said softly. "Please. Do all you can to get it back. It's what he would want…"

He nodded to me. "We will. Are you alright, Annika?"

"Yeah. I'm fine…"

He wheeled over and examined me anyway. As soon as he touched my ribs, I yelped in pain.

"That's what I thought. You're going to have to let me look at it."

I let Sly go long enough for Bentley to look at my ribs. An enormous splay of black and blue spread across the left side of me. I didn't really notice the soreness until I saw the proof for myself. It hurt to move. Even the slightest motion pained me. Bentley wrapped me to limit my movement so I wouldn't hurt as much. Still…

"There," he said as he finished up. "There's no way you're doing anything else on this job. This injury is going to hinder you and keep you from using your full potential. You'll have to sit this one out."

I nodded at the grim news. No more helping Sly in this… No more being beside him through this job…

I scooted back to Sly and put his head back on my lap. I even removed his hat so I could gently stroke his forehead.

"I understand…" I murmured solemnly.

Just before Bentley went back topside, he turned back to me.

"Will you be alright with him?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'll be fine."

"We'll work on getting his cane back, Annika. I promise."

I nodded again to him and off he went.

I sat quietly, looking at Sly as he rested on my lap. He looked so… vulnerable… He was so adorable this way. Knowing the circumstances as they were, the moment was ruined by the guilt that tore at me. Our carelessness led to this… It had to have been that… It had to… Or at least mine… I let him get hurt by that beast and M when I should've been protecting him.

"I'm so sorry…" I whispered. "I should've worked harder to protect you… That was my job. I was supposed to have your back…"

He shifted a little as he slowly came awake. He flinched as he moved, I'm assuming from the aches in places I'm sure he didn't know he had. He gripped his head.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily.

"We're below in the ship," I answered. "Dimitri, Bentley, and I got you down here safely. Bentley said that you have a concussion and should rest for awhile. They're working on getting your cane as we speak."

He looked up at me. "Are you alright?"

"I have bruising on my ribs. But I am alive." I met his gaze and teared up a little. "I've let you down Sly… I'm so sorry… Had I been more attentive… If it wasn't for the sisters…" I couldn't finish any of my sentences.

He raised a gloved hand to my cheek and smiled at me. My heart melted at the forgiveness in his eyes. He wiped at a tear that escaped me.

"This isn't your fault, Annika. We underestimated Dr. M. Believe me, it won't happen again. I promise you." He sat up slowly to gain his bearings then turned to me, offering his hand to me. "Will you still stand by me, Annika? Will you finish this with me?"

I froze at his request. Of course I would. I would do anything for him. Anything he asked of me and it would be his. How could I possibly tell him no? My only worry was for his safety. If he got hurt again…

"But… Bentley…" I said.

"I feel fine," he argued. "I need my cane back. I can only hope that they've found it."

He got up quickly and went topside.

"Wait Sly!" I cried.

I struggled to my feet and tried to follow him. My aching ribs protested at my movements in trying to make it back to him. When I finally made it to them, it looked like they just completed a small job to help with the bigger one at hand.

"With the guided missiles off-line we've got a chance at air superiority," I heard Bentley say.

"I'm in," Sly said. "I've rested long enough."

"You sure?"

"This is my legacy we're fighting for. You think I want to sit this one out?"

"Would you two wait a second?" I asked them as I painfully made it to them. I was panting a little from trying to work through the aching. "Now that I'm finally up here… Can we slow down a second and actually think this through?"

Sly stopped a moment to look at me. "It took you that long to follow me?"

"Of course it did. I told you that I-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he pulled me to him and started to tug at my top.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go of me!"

He lifted it up to see the stiff wrap that Bentley put on me.

"You said that you had bruising," he accused.

"I do," I argued. "Trust me. Take it off and you'll see how awesome it looks."

He turned to Bentley. "It isn't just bruising is it? Tell me."

Bentley looked a little reluctant to tell him the whole truth. Eventually he gave in.

"Dr. M's beast did a number on her," Bentley told him. "It's concentrated in the same area but, her ribs are not only bruised but some may be fractured. We wouldn't know for sure unless we saw an actual doctor but…"

Sly turned back to me and looked at my bandage. "Why didn't you say something?" he asked me. "Why didn't you tell me that you were in pain?"

"I… It wasn't important at the time…" I answered honestly. "I didn't think about it. I was more worried about you than myself. You have a job to finish after all…"

He let go of my shirt and moved to my hand.

"Annika… Had I known…"

"Please don't," I interrupted. "Finish this once and for all. We'll talk after it's over. I promise you." I looked up at him. "Go do your thing like you always do, Sly. I'll be fine here for now."

He looked like he was going to tell me no but then sighed and let go of my hand. He turned to Bentley.

"Let's get this show on the road."

"Understood. The biplane launcher, although untested, should get you aloft," Bentley explained. "It's gonna be tough up there."

"It'll be tougher down here watching others fight my battles for me." Sly cast a quick glance to me then went to the plane and got himself in the air. In no time Sly took down the turrets. Then Dr. M came out of the water in a giant, flying whale thing and shot at Sly. When Sly's plane went down, he used his glider to make it to the flying thing to confront M. I lost sight of him after that.

"I can't see him," I murmured.

"He's fine, Annika," Bentley assured me. He then answered his com. "Yeah pal?" A pause. "Okay. Be right up partner." He turned to me. "Come on. We're going with Sly into the vault. We're going to the van with Murray."

I slowly made my way to the van with Murray and Bentley. Murray radioed to Sly. Something about the Panda King giving the van a boost? Oh geez…

Suddenly the van shot up into the air and managed to land on the vault platform. Bentley and I were pretty freaked out.

"We are NEVER doing that again," Bentley said.

"Agreed," I told them. "Never again."

Sly followed us in and we all climbed out of the van and dropped to this enormous platform. A single tightrope led to another door. I'm assuming it went into the gauntlet that would test Sly's skills as a Cooper thief. All of us were in awe.

"This place is amazing!" Bentley cried.

"Yeah," Murray agreed. "It's got to be like… A hundred years old!"

"An archeological marvel!" Bentley continued.

"It is… Something…" I said quietly, trying to look around without causing more harm to myself.

"I'm glad you guys are impressed," Sly said. "'Cause it looks like I'll have to go on from here alone."

"Do it, Sly," Bentley told him. "This place was built for you. We'll hold down the fort here."

Sly cast a glance to me then walked over. "Annika, I-"

"Not this time, Sly. You know I'm in no condition to follow you. If the circumstances were different, you know I would go with you without a thought. Besides… This place wasn't meant for me. Go."

"But I-"

"I said go you idiot. I promised you that we would talk after this. I plan on keeping that promise. I have a lot that I want to tell you."

He pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead, making my heart seem to skip a beat.

"I'll be back."

I reluctantly let go of him and watched as he entered gauntlet. My heart seemed to feel empty and that nagging feeling that I had at the beginning of the mission came back. Something made me feel like he wasn't coming back even though he said he would… I couldn't believe that. He said he would come back. He had to.

I was turning back to Murray and Bentley, missing over half their conversation, when Murray went to go help Bentley from being attacked by goons.

"Dr. M's goons? They must have forced the door after we opened the lock!"

I whirled around to find more lackeys coming in. There was no way I would be able to defend myself well enough with my injury. As if sensing my distress, Murray came and lifted me up to keep them from me.

"Don't' worry, Annika. You're safe with me," he assured me. "I'm going to hand you over to Bentley while I beat some skulls in."

I simply nodded and let him do his thing. In the middle of his fighting, he handed me to Bentley like he said he would then went back to doing his thing. As soon as the goons were gone, Bentley and I went back to meet with Murray. Then Dr. M dropped in.

"Ah Murray," he said, "You're much stronger than McSweeney ever was."

"That's right plug head! I'm like a semi truck with its brakes cut!"

"I don't have time to get into a screaming match with a caveman such as yourself," M scoffed.

Bentley rose to the challenge. "Then lock horns with me. I think you'll find that I'm a better match."

"I have no fight with you Bentley. You and I are the same."

"I gather that you were the technical specialist working with Sly's father?"

"You knew Sly's dad?" Murray piped up.

"Quiet Caveman, the adults are talking," M answered him then turned his attention back to Bentley. "That's right Bentley, I know the pain you suffer working under your inferior."

"It's no secret, I'm smarter than the other guys. But there's more to it than that."

"Like what?" M laughed.

"Like brotherhood."

Bentley's answer was so sincere. It almost made me jealous of his and Sly's friendship.

"Brotherhood? That's just what he wants you to think. It's just a tool to keep you in line."

"You're wrong. It's what keeps us happy and alive. It's Why I'm going to stop you."

"Me too," Murray said.

I struggled through the pain to get into stance. "And I as well."

M gave me a once over. "You… You were with Cooper at the vault. I didn't really pay attention before… Where have I seen you?"

"Not I, Dr. M. You probably notice the resemblance between me and my late mother, Crim Reeves. I am her only daughter, Scarlett Reeves."

He laughed out loud at that. "Incredible. You look almost exactly like her. Let me guess… You're now in love with this Cooper. That's the only reason that you would be around and doing this heist. Am I right?"

I saw red at that moment. I grabbed my whip and lashed it on his arm as he tried to cover his face. My pain forgotten, all I could think about it how much I wanted to put him in his place. How dare he laugh at me and make me look like a fool.

"Fine 'Cooper Gang'. I tried," M said as I held him with my whip.

Murray attacked M and kept him at bay for Bentley and I.

"Annika, you have to go help Sly and make sure he's safe," Bentley told me. "I know you're hurt but-"

"You can count on me," I interrupted. I went on and went into the Cooper Vault, in hopes of saving Sly before it was too late.


	19. Heist 19

I braved the Cooper gauntlet, taking care not to miss a single step. Halfway through, the place began to shake and crumble around me. Bentley quickly caught up to me.

"What's happening?" I asked him as he followed me through.

"Dr. M and Sly must doing a duel to the death," he replied grimly. "We have to hurry."

We quickly made it to the inner sanctum and found no trace of Sly. Only Dr. M was there, fighting to stay there even when the place was crumbling around him.

"Sly!" I cried out, hoping that he was still here. "Sly! Where are you?"

"He's not here," Bentley said as he tugged on my arm. "We have to leave!"

"But Sly-"

"There's no time! If he's here he'll make it out!"

We left M to himself and Murray had come in to get Bentley, Penelope and I out before we could be crushed. We watched as the vault and everything on the island fell apart. The vault was gone for good. No one would be able to see its riches ever again. It was bittersweet and I couldn't believe that the job was done. Sly had disappeared without a trace and I wasn't sure if Kaylita and Carmelita were safe or not. I didn't know how or what to feel.

Dimitri, the Guru and the Panda King met up with us in the trees. I looked frantically for Sly, hoping to find something, anything.

Bentley had called out to let us know that he had found something. As soon as I got to him, in between two rocks were Sly's cane and a calling card. It was evident that he didn't want to be found. Which, ultimately, broke me in two. He told me that he would be back and yet, as before, somehow I knew he decided otherwise. I guess that I would have to tell him everything when I saw him again. If I ever saw him again…

I stayed with the gang for awhile, hoping to find a trace of Sly or hoping that he would show up. I had even tried to make a few phone calls to Kaylita. She never took or replied to any of them. I finally gave up on it and just waited.

Months went by without hearing anything. So, the gang went separate ways. Murray went back to Australia with the Guru to complete his training. He and Bentley still keep in touch to this day.

When it came time for me to go, I had packed what few things I had with me and pinpointed Bill's address. I wanted to surprise him. Bentley and Penelope saw me off.

"Where will you go now?" Bentley asked me.

"I'm going to take Bill up on his offer. I'm going to take the job he's so graciously saved just for me. There's no way the Chief will take me back again." I turned to my turtle friend. "Bentley, you'll tell me if you find Sly, right? Please? I have to know if he's okay at least. If anything, you'll give me that, right?"

Bentley hesitated a moment then finally nodded. "Sure thing. I will keep in touch."

Penelope stepped up to hug me. "You take care, Annika. I sure hope we find Sly soon. For your sake. I know you care about him."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Penelope. You're amazing." I picked up my one bag and waved to them. "I'll see you guys later. I better get a call if you guys are expecting." I winked.

They both had to laugh at that. They waved me off and I went to catch a bus to Bill's.

Bill lived out in New Orleans in an old antebellum mansion. The yard was enormous and was very well taken care of. The mansion itself was probably almost as big as Interpol headquarters. Okay, I'm probably exaggerating but, it was pretty huge.

I got out of my cab and walked up to the front door. I sat my bag down and took a deep breath before I rang the doorbell. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew from his voice over the phone that he had to be big but… Other than that, I had no clue. I just hoped I had lived up to his expectations…

Instead of Bill answering the door, a female rabbit did.

"May I help you, miss?" she asked.

I pulled out my piece of paper with Bill's supposed address on it.

"Actually, I think you can. I'm looking for Bill Hastings. He used to know my mother."

"Who is it, Tia?" said a deep voice from far away. I recognized it right away. I was at the right place.

"A young woman, sir," the rabbit replied to the voice. "She says that you knew her mother."

"Let her in, Tia."

The rabbit, Tia, led me inside. I was in awe of just the foyer. On either side of me, two rooms flanked the entrance. In front of me was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. It was gorgeous.

In one of the rooms beside us was a hefty wooden desk and getting up from the chair behind it was a very tall and built Tauren, setting down his glasses as he tried to straighten his desk. He hadn't seen me yet. My heart pounded from the anxiousness of finally meeting him.

He walked out with a stack of papers then caught a glimpse of me. He immediately dropped them to the ground as he stared in wonder at me. I struggled to find the right words for this exact moment. It was surreal finally meeting him after all this time. I couldn't imagine how he felt right now.

"Scarlett…?" He asked quietly as he reached for me. "Is it really you, little Scarlett?"

I smiled at him. "Hello Bill. It's incredible to finally get to see you."

He cupped my face as a few tears escaped him. He gently pulled me into a hug.

"I can't believe it… You're so grown up and beautiful Scarlett… Your mother would be so proud…" He pulled away from me just enough to look at me again. "It's really you. I'm really looking at you… I guess my first question would be how you found me. How did you know where to look?"

I giggled. "Bentley found you actually. I can't take the credit for that. I just simply followed the crumbs."

He smiled at me then turned to Tia. "Tia, this is Scarlett. Crim's daughter."

"You've told me endless stories sir," Tia said, smiling prettily.

"Scarlett, this is Tia. She is my partner in my business and my housemaid," Bill said. "If you need anything, Tia or I would be glad to do anything for you."

"Well… I was actually wondering if I could stay with you, Bill. If that's alright of course."

Bill's face lit up at that. "Scarlett, I couldn't be happier to hear you say that. Of course you can stay with us. In fact…" He cast a glance to Tia.

"I will get right on it, sir," she said, as if reading his mind. She made her way up the stairs.

"Come on, sweetie," Bill said as he took my hand. "You have to tell me what happened on your most recent adventure."

He led me into a sitting room in front of a fireplace. Bill sat in his chair while I sat in the chaise across from him.

"So, did everything end okay? Everyone is safe?"

I nodded. "Yes. At least… For the ones that we found…"

He looked concerned. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "Sly disappeared on us. It's been months since we did the job and even Bentley hasn't heard from him. He said he would let me know when he's heard something."

"I'm sorry, Scarlett. I know that you have deep feelings for him…"

I shook my head. "I do but… I don't think he feels the same for me. And, I'm sure I may never see him again." Talking about it made my heart fall to pieces. "In fact, I think I'd rather never see him again."

"Scarlett, you can't really-"

"Oh but I do," I interrupted quietly. "The fact that he said he would come back and never did… It's hard enough on me as it is."

He nodded and let it go. "Tell me everything. I want to know every detail that you can recall."

We sat for hours, mostly from me telling him about what had happened up to now. I told him about what I remembered about the day my mother died and I told him of my life with Tyga. I recalled as much as I could of going into the Police Force and Carmelita calling me to Interpol after Archimedes's first capture. I remembered my first encounter with Sly Cooper and all he had done for me… He just sat quietly and listened to my story. It was hard to read him.

When I had finished, he simply sighed.

"It's incredible," he said. "Your journey has been interesting. So you had received your mother's diary?"

I nodded. "Yes. I learned a lot from it. I read every page as well as the letter that she left for me. She mentioned you quite often in those pages. She even said that you used to put flowers over my crib when I was a baby."

He smiled at that. "I did. Between me, Crim and Tyga, you were everything that was precious to us. And you brought us closer. You were our reason to be. That, alone, was why we fought so hard to protect you. Even though what happened to Tyga was an accident, from what you told me, he did everything he could to hide you and keep you safe. I'm surprised Archimedes waited as long as he did…"

"You're telling me," I agreed. "I think we all were shocked. He could've came for me sooner but decided otherwise… It makes me wonder…"

"You mentioned that Archimedes was related to Clockwerk, the Cooper family's nemesis. How uncanny…"

"Very much so…" I agreed.

"It's not surprising that I never knew that you were still alive. I am honestly a little miffed that Tyga didn't bother to call or anything."

I giggled. "The only other person who knew of me had died the same night as my mother. No one knew where you had gone otherwise. Had Tyga known, I have no doubt that he would have brought me to you without question."

He covered my hand with his and smiled. "I know that deep in my heart. I'm just beyond happy that you're here now."

I smiled at him then paused as I heard sweet humming from the kitchen. Knowing immediately that it was Tia, I turned back to Bill with a sly grin.

"So… You and Tia…?"

He got flustered at my question. It was so adorable.

"No! It's not like that at all! She's just my housemaid and my partner! That's all!" He got up from his chair to try and hide his blush from me.

"That is all?" I pressured.

He stopped and turned to me. "Tia has been with me for a long time. In fact, she was the one who comforted me when I found out about your mother. She has kept a close watch on me ever since and has never really left me alone for too long. Today, in fact, is the longest she's been out of the room."

"I'm sorry, Bill… I didn't mean to cause so much grief…"

"Please, don't be."

Just then, Tia stepped into the room. "Dinner is served sir."

He gave me his hand and I took it without question. The three of us sat down for dinner and I got to hear much about Bill's catering business. He assured me that I would be able to run it should something happen to him and Tia. He also told me about some of the things that he would ask me to do on the job. Luckily, I would mostly be bartending and talking to people.

After we had dinner, Bill retired for the night and went to bed. Tia led me to the bedroom that I would be borrowing for the time I stayed with them. As Tia went to getting my bed ready for me, I went and sat at the window seat.

"I think it's right that I should thank you Tia," I said. "You've done so much for Bill."

"Please," she smiled. "There's no thanks needed. I only did what I could for him. In the end, I still couldn't erase his pain. Not until now anyway." She stopped what she was doing then turned to me. "You can't imagine how much he was tormented after your mother died. He took it so hard and not knowing whether you were alive or not made it so much worse on him. He would wake up at all hours of the night screaming at the top of his lungs from horrible nightmares. After your first phone call, for days he wept with joy at finally knowing, after so long, that you were alive. Of course, once we heard about Archimedes, it kind of clued us in. But, to hear your voice over the phone… I had never seen him so happy. He's been in the best of moods ever since. The business has even picked up quite a bit and he's kept the same employees for more than two months. It was quite a turn-around. One I'm very glad for." She came over to me and knelt down to take my hand. "I should be the one thanking you Scarlett. You've given Bill a reason to live again. I couldn't ask for more than that."

Her story made me tear up a little. My disappearance… My mother's death… I never knew those things could hurt a person as much as it did Bill. But now… I'm here now. I would make up for all those dark years for him.

"I swear to you, Tia. I will make sure to give him more happy memories," I said.

She smiled. "I believe you. I know you will. In the meantime…" She got to her feet. "Your bed is ready. You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

I nodded and crawled into the large bed.

"Goodnight Scarlett," she said as she dimmed the lights.

"Goodnight," I replied softly. Then I fell into a fitful sleep, thankful that I was in loving and open arms again. Thankful that I was with family…


	20. Heist 20

The months went by slowly. I kept in contact with Bentley and Penelope, I even heard from the Panda King and Murray every now and again. Which, at least I was having some sort of social interaction outside of just Bill and Tia. Not that I minded them. It was just nice to have friends and family around.

I found myself giving up on Sly a little every day. I began to let go of a lot of the feelings that I had for him. Somehow, it made me feel better. I began to accept the fact that I wouldn't hear from him again. And I was okay with that…

Bill and Tia had taught me everything from filling out paperwork, to finding and booking jobs to finding people to fill the job positions for each specific job. I couldn't believe how many people they had on call. It was incredible. They both had even taken me to the warehouse where they kept everything from decorations to menus and everything in between. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"This is… Wow…" I breathed. "I can't believe I'm looking at the innards of your business."

Bill laughed. "This is only a small part, Scarlett. There are warehouses like this all around the world that I own. We have to be prepared for anything and any occasion. Hastings Corp is very well known, you know."

I giggled. "I'm very impressed."

"As you should be," Tia joked. "We've worked very hard to build this business into something amazing. Not only are we living large but, we're doing something honest. Instead of the thieving we're all used to."

That little tidbit was interesting.

"You used to be a thief?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, yes I was. Long story short, I had messed up on a job and had gotten seriously hurt. That's how I met Bill. He got me fixed up and took care of me. I never became a thief again."

I knew then that there was a small spark between them. There had to be. Instead of finding love for myself, I would be finding love for them, with each other.

I walked over to both of them and hooked arms with them.

"Well, when do we start?"

A few weeks later, we had been asked to work at the annual Interpol Ball that would be taking place in a few months. Bill couldn't possibly say no to an offer like that. The Interpol Ball was one of the largest events that Hastings Corp could possibly host. Not to mention all the money it brought in from doing it. It was a big opportunity that I didn't expect Bill to refuse.

After he got off the phone to tell me the news, he had asked me if I wanted to work it knowing that Carmelita and Kaylita may be there. I simply nodded and told him that I wouldn't miss it for the world. I would make him proud even if they showed up.

Bill made a few more phone calls to some of his coworkers then got to work on preparing on the specifics. He made calls to anyone and everyone he could possibly think of that was connected to this ball, including getting a hold on the committee itself. It was astounding how much work he did in one day on this one event. I couldn't believe that I could possibly be doing this one day… It was so much!

A week before the ball, Bill explained that I would be bartending that night and that I would be allowed to bring a dress if I wished to enjoy myself while I was there. Everyone would cycle out to at least see and have fun at the party. When I told him that I didn't have a decent dress to wear, he had promptly ordered me to go shopping with Tia the next day, with his credit card no less, to find me a dress to wear.

We were flown out to the location of the ball in Europe a few days before so we could set up and see what we could do with the place to spruce it up. The enormous ballroom had reds and golds all around and had floor to ceiling windows, as well as its own balcony. The bar was pretty much equipped with everything we needed to serve the guests. Luckily we didn't have to bring too much to this job to make it amazing for those attending. Of course, because it was the annual ball for Interpol and the other well-known precincts, I kept an open mind that it was possible that Carmelita and Kaylita would show.

The day of the party, the guests began spewing in at dusk. Many of them were in their dress uniforms. Bill had stationed me at the bar that night. I was asked to wear a long sleeved, white shirt with a deep red vest and black tie. I waited on people all night and didn't take my turn to out and about. I didn't feel the partying mood and I didn't want to dance unless I had someone to dance with. Bill had offered to take me out to dance but I politely declined and told him that I'd rather work the bar and make him money.

As I was making daiquiris for another couple, someone unexpected came to the bar.

"Could I get some red wine for…" He trailed off.

I froze. That voice… I knew it… I knew it all too well.

"Annika…?"

I looked up at the person talking to me only to drop both of the drinks in my hands in shock. Before me stood the most perfect gentlemen, the one person I didn't expect to see ever again.

"Sly…?" I whispered quietly. I turned away from him. "This can't be happening…"

One of my coworkers rushed to pick up my mess as I turned back to Sly. Bill and Tia were coming to me then noticed who was speaking to me and slowly backed away.

I couldn't think or speak. I couldn't believe he was really here… In the flesh… After all this time…

"What are you…" I lost my voice as soon as Carmelita came up to him and attached herself to his arm.

My heart broke into pieces and fell into my stomach. I couldn't believe this… I couldn't believe he disappeared just to show up again with Carmelita. I take that back… Yes, I could. I _could_ believe it.

"Annika!" Carm cried. "Is that really you? It's been so long!"

I swallowed hard. "Yeah. It really has been. How are you?"

"Pretty good. Things aren't how they used to be. It's been very quiet."

"I bet," I answered simply.

Sly cleared his throat and turned to Carm.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, dear?"

Dear? Did he really just call her that? What in the world…

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Sly, this is an old colleague of mine, Annika. Annika, this is Constable Sly Cooper."

"Constable? He's the Constable?"

Carm nodded. "Crazy isn't it?"

Yeah it was… I didn't know what to think. I was mad for the simple fact that he disappeared without a trace at the vault. I tried looking for him for months and not a thing… Then, all of a sudden…

I straightened up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Constable." I quickly got them their wine.

"The pleasure is all mine."

I looked around. "I take it that Kay stayed to do paperwork?"

"She's much like you at these functions. She doesn't come unless she has someone to go with."

"I see…"

Sly took Carm's hand. "Love, would you mind if I asked Annika to dance? I've been watching her coworkers rotate out and she hasn't had a chance yet."

"I don't see why not. You and I have already done plenty of dances." She turned to me. "Annika, why don't you take him up on his offer?"

"I… I couldn't…"

"Go on, Scarlett," Bill said as he came up behind me. "Go have fun. You might as well."

I sighed. I knew there was no sense in arguing with Bill…

"Alright. I'll go change and meet you out there, Constable."

I went to the bathroom with my dress and such. It didn't take me long to look presentable and cleaned up. As soon as I came out, I got quite a few stares. But none of them compared to how Sly's surprised face made me feel.

He offered me his hand and walked me to the dance floor where we began a slow waltz. Carmelita was nowhere to be found.

I shouldn't be doing this… I'm over him. I should be over him. But he was here, dancing with me. Here with Carmelita.

"It's been a long time, Annika…" he said quietly so only I could hear.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked hotly. "Bentley and I went to look for you and you weren't there. I searched for you for months!"

He shrugged. "You want the truth?"

"Of course I do!"

"I feigned amnesia to be with Carmelita. She came barreling in to help me and I took a hit for her. It was the least I could do."

"The least you could do, or you might actually care about Carmelita?"

"I've always cared about Carmelita. Long before I met you, I had something for Carm. Hell, my first major heist against Clockwerk I even kissed her for Pete's sake. So, yes, I've had a liking for Carmelita."

"I don't think 'a liking' quite describes what you have for Carmelita," I spat. "Beside the point. The least you could have done for your _friends_ is let us know that you were okay. Like I said, Bentley and I searched for you for months. I even lived with him and Penelope until everyone left to see if they heard-"

"Bentley found me not to long after the job was done," Sly interrupted. "Just an FYI."

He dipped me low then rose me slowly. The hurt in my heart was tangible. Why the hell was I dancing with him when he played me? I gently pushed away from him only for him to pull me back.

"Please don't," he whispered. "I don't want to cause a scene."

"Of course not…" I sighed. I looked up at him. "You told Bentley not to tell me, didn't you? That's why he hasn't said anything to me and would also explain why he's been avoiding it."

"I did," he said.

"Why…? Why make me worry? Why dance with me?"

"I want to dance with you," he answered honestly. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. If you want the real truth… I went with Carmelita and lied about my memory so I could get a taste of having a normal life. And also for me and Carmelita to have a chance." He shifted to look me in the eye. "Now that I've had it… I kind of miss my thieving life."

"And Carm?" I asked.

"She's starting to catch on… Poor Kaylita knew exactly what was going on as soon as Carmelita brought me into Interpol. Carm seemed content with the lie I was telling her… So Kaylita kept her mouth shut."

Always the noble one that Kaylita… She would do anything to protect Carm's happiness. And mine, if it ever came down to it.

"I shouldn't be surprised…" I murmured. "Kaylita always put Carmelita's wants and needs first. Mine too…"

There was a silence between us for a moment then he looked toward the bar. I cast a glance to where he was looking and noticed that Bill was keeping an eye out for me. I had to grin to myself.

"So… that's your mother's partner, huh?" Sly said. "He's not quite what I imagined. He's not…?"

I knew what he was insinuating and quickly shook my head. "Not at all. I don't look like I could be his anyway." I laughed. "I think he had feelings for my mother but not the right ones to father a child. Besides, his business partner and him seem to have some sparks flying. But I didn't tell you that."

He smiled at that. "Are you happy staying with him? He's taking good care of you?"

"Of course. He welcomed me with open arms and tears in his eyes. I'm better now that I have family again."

"I'm glad."

We finished our dance then I pulled away from him. He caught my hand though, and brought it up to his lips for a lingering kiss. As soon as he let me go, Carmelita came up and quickly plastered herself back to his arm. My heart was already in pieces but, somehow, seeing that, seemed to make me break a little more inside. I knew that he didn't want that from me. But I wanted it so bad… As long as he was alive and happy and with someone as capable and loving as Carmelita, I could ask for nothing more.

I cleared my throat and smiled as best as I could. "Thank you for the dance, Constable. I really enjoyed myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work."

I quickly took my leave heading toward the bathroom but my tears stopped me. I leaned against the wall and cried. My heart was broken… He broke promises and left me hanging for months. And Bentley… He would be getting an angry, frustrated call later, that's for sure. The one person who I spilled my heart to was the one person who could break me… How could I have been so stupid?

I sank to the floor in the hallway when Bill came around to check on me.

"Scarlett?" he said as he knelt down to me. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

I quickly wiped at my tears. Bill brought me to my feet and held me to him.

"Shhh… It's okay, Scarlett," he soothed. "I'm right here. Tell me what happened."

Before I could say anything to him, Tia rounded the corner.

"I'm going to kill him," she said angrily. "Bill, let her go back to the hotel for the night. Please. If that man says anything else to hurt her… I may kill him."

Bill didn't look like he understood what was going on but, he went along with it.

"Alright, well… Get dressed Scarlett and go to the hotel for the night. We'll be there after the party."

I nodded and quickly went to the bathroom and got dressed. When I came out, Tia and Bill rushed me outside to a cab.

"I have to stay here with the others," Bill told Tia. "I'll be there later on." He came over to me. "Are you going to be alright, sweetie?"

I nodded as best as I could.

"Okay. Go to the hotel. Relax. Tia and I will take care of this."

"Okay…" I couldn't really think clearly. I felt too broken to really think of anything else.

Tia and I got into the cab and headed toward the hotel. Hopefully I could get rid of all the thoughts of him…

~Sly

After seeing Annika leaving, I ignored whatever Carmelita was saying and ran after her in hopes of catching up to her before she left. Unfortunately, by the time I had caught up with her, she had already hopped in a cab and driven off. I cursed.

"You should give her some space, Cooper," said a deep voice from behind me.

I turned to see an enormous Tauren of a man. He was a lot bigger than I could see initially.

"Am I right in assuming that you're Bill Hastings?" I asked him.

"I am. And I suggest you give Scarlett some space. It's going to take her awhile to forgive you for lying to her."

I was surprised. "You knew?"

He nodded. "Bentley told me and Tia instead of telling her. She'll eventually forgive us. But you… You may be a lost cause in her book."

"What are you saying?"

"I'll let you in on a big secret about Scarlett. Before you're last big heist, when we would talk on the phone, there wasn't one conversation that you weren't mentioned in in some way. She was very obvious in how much she cared about you. That's the only reason I even gave her the push to go on that wild goose chase in the first place."

"You talked her into it?" I asked.

Bill nodded. "Believe me, had I not said anything, she wouldn't have gone. Although, now that I think about it, she probably would have anyway simply because she cared about you." He sighed heavily and rubbed his brow in frustration. "Crim went through the same thing with your father… I hate watching this again…"

"Wait…" I said. "My father…? Annika's mother was…"

"Yes, Sly," he interrupted me. "Crim cared very deeply for your father. She had even warned him about M at one time and he shrugged her off. Can you imagine how I feel watching it happen again with their children?" He shook his head. "Give her some time. She'll calm down and then you can pursue her if you so choose it. Until then, leave her be. I won't tolerate you hurting her anymore. And, quite frankly, neither will Tia. I have never seen Scarlett this way. Honestly, I hoped and prayed I would never have to."

"But I-"

"Scarlett was over you Sly. She put on a brave face tonight and took this job anyway knowing that she might see her old Interpol friends again. But you… You were the curve ball that she never saw coming." He got very close to me. "Give her time then maybe she'll give you a chance. If you hurt her again, I'll sic Tia on you. She's not as forgiving or as patient as I am in these types of situations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work. Before I go though…" He handed me a business card. "If you need to talk, I'm available as much as possible. Keep to my business phone number. Tia won't answer that one."

"Why are you doing this for me? For Annika? You know how I hurt her just now and yet you still want to give this to me."

"Because you ran after her. Believe me, that's enough proof for me to know that you care about her. I don't know what was said Sly but, I do know that if you really care about her, you'll still want to be with her and she'll eventually forgive you. Please just give her some space." He left me at that.

I didn't know what to think. He had to have been planning something. He was genuinely trying to help me.

Carmelita came running out to find me. "Sly, what's going on?"

I looked at the card then to her. "Carm… There's something I need to tell you…"


	21. Heist 21

~Annika

Tia finally came out of the bathroom after I had my rampage in the hotel room. Pillows and sheets and even some of the small furniture was strewn across the room. I had called Bentley but he didn't answer me. Between my heartbreak and my frustration, I just had to get it out. I even scared off housekeeping when someone came to check on us. I was pretty embarrassed with myself and the mess I had made.

Tia came up to me as I sat down on what was left of the bed.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"For now…" I murmured.

"We should probably clean up before Bill gets here."

I nodded then heard my phone ring. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Bentley. I picked it up immediately.

"Bentley?"

"Annika? What is it? Penelope said you called and-"

"What the hell is your problem?" I accused angrily. "Why didn't you tell me that Sly was alive?"

"Whoa, slow down, Annika," Bentley said. "Tell me what happened. How do you know about Sly?"

"He showed up with Carmelita at the Interpol Ball tonight! Bill owns Hastings Corp, Bentley. It was bound to happen that I would find out about Sly eventually."

"Minor setback," he said.

My anger spiked again at that. "Excuse me?"

"Not what I meant," he quickly defended himself. "I just meant that, I didn't want you to get hurt. Once I found out about Sly, I told Penelope and got in touch with Bill and tried to keep it from you. You still got hurt in the end."

"This isn't about me, Bentley. This is about the secret that _everyone_ has been keeping from me. I'm not an idiot. I may not be a genius like you but I know when to give in and leave it alone. Why would you do this to me? You know how much I cared about him, Bentley. You know how much it hurt me that he disappeared. The least you could have done is tell me that he was alive and well. You didn't have to hide it all. You didn't even have to tell me where he was. Just that he was alive. I didn't want to find out this way. And the fact that Bill and Tia have known this whole time…" It made me angrier. I didn't want to tell him that part.

"Annika, I-"

"Shut up," I barely managed to say through the tears. "This conversation is over." I hung up on him and broke down some more.

Tia put her hand on mine.

"I'm so sorry, Scarlett…" she murmured. "It's true that Bill and I knew. We didn't want history to repeat itself."

I paused for a moment and looked to her. "Repeat itself?"

She nodded. "Your mother deeply loved Sly's father. Yet, he chose someone else over her. We didn't want the same fate for you. But here we are… The same place where your mother was. She went and got knocked up instead and never told us who the father was. I don't think she even cared as long as she had a child to pass on the Reeves name. And we never questioned her. It wasn't our place to. She just wanted to channel all those feelings into something more precious."

"She never mentioned that she had feelings for Cooper. She mentioned him a lot but never said anything about any romantic interest."

"Of course she didn't… She never admitted it to anyone. Not even him. But it was obvious to all of us that knew her. Bill and I didn't want that to happen between you and Sly. It seems that it would've happened no matter what…"

I hugged Tia. "It's okay. I understand. I just… I'm just hurt that no one told me. I wish you had…"

"I know, sweetie," she said. "In the meantime though, we should tidy up a bit before Bill gets here. It looks like a war zone."

I laughed as I wiped my tears. "Do you think I won against the room?"

She giggled with me. "Yes. It was definitely a K.O. on your part."

A few hours later Bill came back to the hotel room. He looked around as some of the mess that was left to clean and looked to me and Tia.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"Oh believe me," Tia said. "This is an improvement to how it was. Scarlett completely trashed the place."

"In my defense…" I paused. "You know what? I don't have a good excuse for this." It was the honest truth. I had no reason to completely go crazy like I did. Now that Bill was here, maybe we could sort some things out and I could finally be over this.

Bill put his stuff down then came to me. "I'm going to safely assume that you're feeling a little better."

"A little," I agreed. "But before you start drilling me with questions on what happened, I have a bone to pick with you."

"Oh?" He said as he crossed his massive arms.

"I'm very angry at you for knowing and keeping it from me. But I understand why. So, I won't stay mad."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you understand. Does this mean you've forgiven him too?"

"Hardly," I snorted.

Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes. "In any case… We already have our next job. It's in a few months and while we're getting prepared for it, you, Scarlett, are going to take belly dancing classes."

"Belly dancing? Are you serious?"

"Very. It's an Arabian Masquerade theme and is going to debut some very rare jewels."

At the mention of jewels my thieving senses kicked into overdrive. Bill saw the look on my face and grinned.

"I know exactly what you're thinking, Scarlett, and the answer is hell yeah. We're totally going to pull an operation that night as well as host. You sure you can do this one?"

"I'm in."

I was thankful that Bill had put me through belly dancing classes. Otherwise, I had no idea how I would pull this off. Not only did I have to learn this beautiful dance, I had to dance while balancing a tray of drinks and snacks. I had never been so thankful for my thieving heritage. It didn't take long to train myself in complete balance while moving my body like fluid.

The months went by sluggishly. Every now and again I would go to see Bill in his office to find him talking quietly on the phone. He always ended the call with "Scarlett is listening, I'll call you back." He was obviously talking to someone he didn't want me knowing about. When I had asked him about it later, he simply waved me off. Tia was just as in the dark as I was unfortunately. Even she couldn't get him to spill the beans.

The night of the masquerade had arrived. Bill had me dressed in a deep blue outfit, baring my middle and barely covering my bust. I also had flowing skirts with jingles on them and flowing sleeves that cuffed around my biceps. My feet would be bare for this event but I would have jangles and jewelry all over me as well as my mask. I was actually pretty excited.

The guests rolled in and I went to work dancing around and rolling my body to the beat of the music while serving out trays of snacks and drinks. I couldn't believe how much fun I was having and the heated looks from a lot of the masked gentlemen made the whole experience that much more entertaining for me. I couldn't help but grin to myself at the attention I was getting. Bill noticed as well and pulled me to the side.

"You're pulling way too much attention to yourself," he whispered quietly.

"Oh please," I said. "It'll be fine. I'll be in and out in a flash as soon as the jewels are out."

Just as I had said that, one of the guests came up to me and offered me his hand.

"I beg your pardon, m'lady, but may I ask for one dance?"

I was so shocked. I wasn't expecting to have to dance with someone at this event too. On the other hand, it could give me the cover that I needed in order to pull this heist off.

"Go on, Scarlett," Bill said all too eagerly.

I nodded to him then turned to the man. "I would be honored, sir." I gave him my hand then he led me to the dance floor.

As we started to dance, something about him clicked in me. I knew him from somewhere, I just couldn't get my finger on it. I got a little shifty and he noticed.

"Don't be so nervous," he said. "Right now we're just wasting time until the jewels come out."

As soon as I realized who it was, the host was showing off the jewels. Enormous teardrop emeralds were set into a beautiful necklace piece with matching earrings and bracelets. They were a sight to behold.

The man's hand wrapped around my waist and brought me closer against his warm body. He leaned down to my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

"The last one there is a rotten egg, Annika."

I spun around quickly to find him gone. It wasn't until the lights went out and screams and shouts could be heard that I knew what was going on. I cursed. The lights came back on to show us that the jewels were gone. Bill made his way to me.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Sly Cooper," I spat. "He tricked me. He's the one who took the jewels. Ugh! I figured out it was him too late! I can't believe this!" I turned to Bill. "I have to go after him. Those jewels were my prize."

I dashed out of the party and to the rooftops. Sly wasn't too far ahead of me and even in bare feet, I could easily catch up.

He stopped at one of the highest tops and turned to me. I stayed a few feet away from him.

"Looks like you're the rotten egg," he joked.

"Hand them over," I demanded. "How dare you take my prize. How dare you even show your face to me again!"

"Finders keepers, Annika. You know that." He waved a small bag in front of me. "But if you really want it, come and get it."

"You're being ridiculous. Hand them over."

"Not likely."

I leaped toward him only to slip on a shingle and face-plant. Sly laughed then offered his hand. When he pulled me to my feet, he waved the bag in my face again.

"Still want it?"

I shook my head at him then looked at his hand holding mine. I gently removed my hand then looked up at him.

"What are you doing here, Sly? And without Murray and Bentley. What's going on?"

"I wanted to see you."

"Well I don't want to see you," I said, calmer than I would've expected out of myself around him right now. "Especially after last time."

"I wanted to apologize."

"Your apologies are hollow and mean nothing to me. Not to mention they are late."

"I talked to Kaylita."

That made me stop. "You talked to Kay? How is she?"

He chuckled. "She's angry with the both of us."

"Both of us? I haven't done anything! In fact, I tried calling her while I stayed with Bentley and Penelope and she wouldn't even take my messages."

"She's angry at you because she feels like you chose me over her. And she's mad at me for hurting Carmelita." He looked a little sheepish after that last remark.

"Carmelita…? What…" But I already knew before he could say it.

"I broke up with her."

I was shocked. At the same time though, I wasn't. I knew that it wouldn't have worked between them.

"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.

He moved closer to me and gently removed my mask. My heart fluttered at the simple action.

"Because there was someone else that I got closer to during a huge heist… She's much more my speed I think…"

He was so genuine… It took my breath away. Instead of giving it to him, I played him a bit.

"Really? She sounds pretty interesting. Is she a thief like you and me?"

He chuckled. "Actually, she is. A very good one at that. In fact, I owe her a lot for having my back. She's really grown on me."

"What happened to her?"

"I left her hanging without saying goodbye. Even after she had done so much to try and protect me. She blamed herself for me getting hurt and I broke her heart."

I wanted to cry. He knew what he had done and the way he said it… He was hurting over what he did to me. How could I not forgive him?

"What would you say to her if she were here?" I asked him quietly.

He lifted his hand up to cup my cheek. "I would apologize profusely and hope she forgives me. Do you think she would?"

The things I wanted to tell him right then and there… My heart melted at his tenderness and I wanted so much to just tell him how I felt. But I couldn't… I was hurt and I didn't want to forgive him that easily.

In the end, my stubbornness won me over. I removed his hand and slowly backed away from him. "Not right now, I don't think. Give her some time."

He swallowed hard. "How much time? I feel like I've left her alone for long enough…"

I jumped to the next building over. "Give her some time, Sly. She'll come around for sure."

As I started to leave, he lifted the bag up. "Forgetting something?"

I smiled at him and shook my head. "The jewels aren't in there. You left them behind."

He seemed surprised. "How did you know?"

"I didn't. You just told me."

I left him at that and went back to Bill and Tia.


	22. Heist 22

Sly She's in Love With A Thief .:~:. Because He Stole Her Heart Cooper Heist 22

A few days went by and Bill, Tia and I were relaxing at home after an interesting time at our last job. I had told them all about what happened with Sly Cooper. Bill confirmed that the jewels had never really been stolen. They were just hidden so that I would go after Sly to get them back. Needless to say, we came back empty handed.

While at home one day, we heard the doorbell ring. I was in the kitchen with Tia while she was cooking so she sent me to answer the door. I opened it to find Sly, dressed in casual jeans and a light jacket with his hands in his pockets. I was surprised to see him so soon… And at Bill's doorstep no less.

"Sly?" I said. "What on Earth…"

Bill came to see who it was at the door.

"Ah, Sly," he greeted him. "It's good to see you. Please, come in."

I turned to Bill. "You knew he was coming?"

"Maybe," he answered sheepishly.

Sly stepped inside. As soon as he did, Tia came out of the kitchen to see what was going on. She was just as surprised as I was.

"I see you're keeping secrets, Bill," she said. She went back to the kitchen.

Bill looked at us then to where she stood. "I need to explain…"

"Don't mind us," I told him. "I'm sure I'll get my answers in a minute."

Bill took his leave to talk to Tia. I turned to Sly.

"I'm going to safely assume that Bill called you," I said.

He chuckled. "Actually, no. I called him." He knew what question I was going to ask next. "He gave it to me at the Interpol Ball. He didn't tell you that I had chased after you, did he?"

This surprised me a little. "You came after me?"

"Of course I did. In fact, I had called him to ask permission to take you out on a date."

"A date?" I asked in disbelief. "Like, a real date? A date date? Like, two regular people going out to dinner, that kind of date?"

He chuckled at me. "Yes, a real date, Annika. Just you and me. No thievery, no craziness. Just us having wholesome, good time fun out in town."

I looked into his eyes. "You're not lying… You're really asking me out on a date."

"You make it sound like it's impossible to ask you out on a date. I promise you, I'm not lying. So, do you want to go or not?"

I tried to make sense of it. He was really here, in Bill's house, asking me out for a date. On the inside, I was ecstatic. He went through all of this just to be with me. How could I possibly tell him no?

I sighed and nodded to him.

"I would love to go out on a date with you, Sly. Let me check on Bill and Tia and I'll get dressed."

He smiled. "I'll be here."

I went into the kitchen where I heard Bill and Tia quietly arguing. They stopped as soon as I walked in.

'What is it Scarlett?" Bill asked calmly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out," I said. "You two should also go have some fun. We haven't had any calls for another job so… Go let loose for a night. You two deserve it."

They both exchanged glances. Tia sighed.

"She's right, I suppose. Let's go out and have some fun. Scarlett will be gone anyway."

Bill agreed. "Sure. Why not?"

"It's settled then. I have to go clean up real quick. Sly is waiting for me."

I quickly ran upstairs, got cleaned up a bit then met Sly at the front door. He offered his arm to me.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall. Lead the way." 

It was a full afternoon. Sly had this whole date planned to a "T". He never missed a beat whenever I asked him "where to next". He always had something up his sleeve and it warmed me to my core. He was the perfect gentlemen, besides the regular joking jabs and sarcastic remarks. I didn't mind though. It was all worth it.

We didn't stay out too late. After enjoying some of the nightlife, he brought me home. He followed me inside the house. The place was still empty.

"Bill and Tia must still be out," I told him. "Would you like to hang out with me for a little bit?"

"Tia won't kill me if she finds me still here will she?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." A thought struck me. "You know, Bill has some old photos of my mom and your dad hidden in the library. You want to see them?"

He lit up at that offer. "He has pictures of my father?"

I nodded. "Yep. Lots."

"I would love to see them."

I led him up the stairs to the library. He wandered around the room as I rummaged through the old photo albums. I brought them to the giant window seat and turned on the lamp. Sly came over and sat close to me. The first one I opened was chock full of newspaper clippings of my mother's heists. Black and white pictures of her leaping into the night or winking at the camera. Some of the clippings even had some of Sly's father. The next album I pulled out had actual pictures that Bill and the others had taken. The cover picture had everyone. My mother, Sly's father, Bill, Tia, Tyga, Dr. M and McSweeney huddled together, all smiles.

"This is the only group picture with all of them together," I said. "It was the first and last. This is also one of the few that Tyga was in."

Sly looked to the picture then back to me. "It's uncanny isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"How much we look like our parents."

I looked at his the picture of his father then to him and smiled. "You're right. It is pretty uncanny isn't it?"

I turned the page to show just a picture of my mother smiling and Bill rubbing her tummy. She was starting to show a baby bump.

"She was pregnant with you in this one," Sly said.

I nodded. "Yes. She was probably in her second trimester. In all of the pictures she's pregnant with me, she looks like she's never been happier. It's amazing…"

"I'm not surprised," he said as he looked at me. "You were everything to her."

I smiled at him then continued to flip through the albums.

We went through all the pictures and sat quietly for a few moments.

"You sure Bill and Tia won't mind me being here, alone with you?" he asked.

"I'm sure. In fact, they should be home soon. Want to go downstairs and wait for them?"

He nodded and we headed downstairs. As soon as we get to the Foyer, Bill opens the door and walks in with Tia on his back completely passed out.

"Oh my gosh…" I said. "Is she okay?"

Bill chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah. She's fine. We just had a little too much fun is all."

I giggled. "As long as she's alright. You should put her to bed. If you carry her up there, I can dress her."

Bill agreed and went to the stairs. I looked to Sly. "I'll be right back."

"Do what you need to do. I'll be here."

I went back up the stairs to dress Tia for bed and left her a glass of water for when she woke up. Bill and Sly had gone to Bill's study to wait for me and to talk about man things. As soon as I walked in, Sly rose from his seat.

"Tia is tucked into bed," I said. "She'll be feeling all that 'fun' in the morning for sure."

"That's good. Thank you Scarlett," Bill said.

"Well, with that said," Sly said as he came to me. "I'll be heading out."

"You're leaving?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yep. I'm off to the old safehouse."

"By yourself?"

"No silly. I have the dust bunnies to keep me company."

I smiled at his dry humor.

"Stay here tonight then," I said quickly.

"Scarlett," Bill said in a hard tone. "Shouldn't you ask him and me first?"

"Oh come on Bill," I begged. "He can stay in one of the guest rooms for the night. Just one night. Please?"

Sly looked to Bill for an answer. When Bill looked to me, he sighed.

"Alright. Sly, if you want to stay the night, you are welcome to. I have no problem with it."

Sly shot a wicked grin. "I would love to."

"No shenanigans you two," Bill said.

"Of course not," I said. "You know me better than that, Bill. I respect you and your home."

"I feel the same way," Sly said.

"Good. Now, goodnight. I have some paperwork to do."

We bid Bill goodnight then went back upstairs. I showed Sly to the guest room right next to my bedroom. He walked in and looked around.

"He certainly isn't in short supply of giant rooms, is he?" he joked quietly.

I giggled. "Not at all. My room is next door if you need anything. I'll bring you some clothes to change into in the morning."

As I turned to leave, he quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. My heart began to pound. It was surprising that he hadn't noticed…

"Thank you for going out with me tonight," he said quietly. "I really enjoyed every minute of it."

The way he was looking at me… I could barely think… He was here, in Bill's house. And he was going to sleep in the room next to mine…

I swallowed hard. "Me too. Thank you for taking me out and being with me. I… I'm glad you came to see me…"

I wanted so much to pour my heart to him right now. Everything that I had in my heart, I wanted to lay it all on the table. But I thought otherwise…

I cleared my throat and pulled away from him.

"I should be getting to bed… I'll see you in the morning."

I went to the door and cracked it. I went into my own bedroom and got dressed in my thin, short nightgown and crawled into bed, hoping to catch some sleep even though the guy I was completely in love with was in the next room over…


	23. Heist 23

I spent most of the night tossing and turning. It was so hard to sleep with him so close. I got up from bed and decided to go out for awhile. I went into my nightstand drawer and pulled out my thieving outfit. I quickly changed and took my leave out my window. The New Orleans night life was as spry as ever. Roaming the rooftops was something I hadn't done in a long time. At least, not since the last party I went to. Even then, I was chasing Sly…

I'm such a coward. There's so much I want to tell him. So much of my heart that I wanted to share with him. Even with him sleeping next to my room, I couldn't get the courage to tell him anything.

I sat down on the edge of a rooftop overlooking the river and watched as a ferry pulled in. I was alone for a few minutes when I heard some footsteps and a familiar voice.

"You're thinking awfully hard, Annika," Sly said from behind me. "I can practically hear the gears working overtime."

I grinned. "I'm going to safely assume that you can't sleep either."

"Not in the least." He came up beside me and took my hand to bring me to my feet. "But I figured that you would be feeling the same way and followed you here."

Here we were. Me and him, by the river, alone… It was the perfect time to tell him how I felt about him.

Just as I was about to say something, he put a finger on my lips.

"I have something very important to tell you before I miss the chance," he said.

My heart began to race. Please don't let him break me down again… Not after all this…

"Annika, I… I don't even know where to begin honestly…" He said nervously.

It was so adorable watching him fumble with his cane. He stood for a moment trying to get his words together.

"I care about you a lot, Annika. I think deep down, I always have. You've been so comfortable with me, telling me secrets you hadn't even told Kaylita. You've had my back on our biggest heist and… You never gave up on me. Even when I left you hanging and made a promise that I didn't keep." He paused a moment and looked me in the eyes. My heart began to race. "I'm in love with you, Annika. No, Scarlett Reeves. I need you in my life more than anything. I just hope you feel the same way…"

I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe because of how happy his words made me.

I looked up at him as a tear of joy escaped me.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that, Sly Cooper." I quickly wiped at the runaway tear.

He seemed a little confused. "So… That's a yes?"

I giggled. "Yes. I love you too." I stepped up to him and grabbed his collar. "Now shut up and kiss me."

Before he could respond, I kissed him with everything I had. He fell into it quickly, dropping his cane and cupping my face. This was really happening. After all the heartache I went through, he and I were finally together.

He pulled away slowly and smiled.

"You took this a lot better than I thought you would," he admitted.

I stepped away from him and returned his smile. "I think I've been quite obvious about my feelings for awhile now. I'm upset that Bill had to tell you instead of me."

"You knew?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course I did, you dummy. Bill came clean later and told me what he said to you. I'm a little embarrassed actually. Nobody but me was supposed to know what was in my mother's diary. Not even Bill was supposed to know her deepest secret. But he saw it plain on her face every time she saw your father. He saw the hurt and the courage it took to try to hide the pain. "

"Just like he saw it on yours every time you saw or thought of me." He picked up his cane then came over to hold my hand. "I don't want that for you anymore. I want you to be happy. I want you to be with me if that is what you really want."

I gave him a nod. "Yes. It's what I want. There's just one problem."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"How are we going to tell Bill and Tia?"

He laughed at me. "No clue. But, in the meantime, we should get home and get some sleep. We'll figure all that out in the morning."

We went back to Bill's house at that. I awoke the next morning on his bare chest with him sleeping soundly. While gazing at his sleeping face, I realized something very important…

For the first time in my life, everything felt right. This moment, though small, was absolutely perfect. He was really here, with me.

I quietly got out of the bed and made my way downstairs. Bill and Tia were in the kitchen sipping on coffee. Well, Bill was sipping on coffee. He had made Tia some concoction to help with her massive hangover. She looked rough.

"Good morning," I greeted. Maybe I said that a little too cheerfully. They'll know something is up. With that in mind, I took my place beside Tia at the bar.

"Good morning to you too, Scarlett," Bill said as he handed me my cup of coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded and turned to Tia. "How are you feeling this morning?"

She rubbed her head. "Once I can keep this down I'll be much better."

Bill set his cup down and leaned over the counter to me.

"So… You and Sly snuck out last night, huh?"

I turned beet red. "How did you…"

"You still have a lot to learn, sweetie. I was your mother's partner remember? It'll be a while before you can sneak anywhere without me knowing it." He took a big gulp of his coffee. "Where did you go?"

"I went to see the ferries come in," I answered honestly. "I needed to go out to think and he followed me. We, uh… Had an interesting conversation."

"So you told him."

Geez, he was sharp this morning… A little too intuitive for my taste.

Tia gaped. "No way! Tell us everything!"

"Well… He told me before I could tell him anything…" I was so flustered. I didn't expect to be interrogated this early in the morning. "Things just worked out, that's all. I don't know if we're together now or if it's just a fling."

"Believe me, it's not," Bill said, finishing off his coffee and putting the cup in the sink. He didn't seem too happy about any of this.

"Bill, what's wrong?" I asked.

He didn't turn to face me or anything. "It's nothing. I'll be in my office if you need me."

It was just me and a hung-over Tia sitting alone.

"Did I do something to upset him?"

Tia sighed. "He's just being an overprotective parent."

"What do you mean?"

"Sly worked a little faster than Bill anticipated. He didn't think that you would be so forgiving so fast. He feels like Sly is taking you away from him."

"Taking me away from Bill? No one is taking me away from Bill. You and Bill are the only family that I have left. Why would I let Sly get in the middle of that?"

"Then you should explain that to him," she said. "He'd appreciate it."

I took her up on her suggestion and walked over to Bill's office. He was going through some paperwork when I walked in. I took a seat that was in front of his desk.

"We need to talk about this," I said quietly.

He looked up at me through the top on his glasses for a moment then back down to his papers.

"I don't know what you mean," he replied, dodging the conversation.

"You know exactly what I mean, Bill. Please don't try to ignore this. Talk to me, tell me what you're thinking."

When he didn't respond I leaned onto his desk like he did to me in the kitchen,

"Please Bill."

He stopped what he was doing to look at me through the top of his glasses. When he took them off I couldn't get over how miserable he looked.

"I just feel like I've let him in too quickly," Bill admitted. "I wanted you to find love and be happy just like Crim had always wanted. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed it."

I paused for a moment to let that sink in. I knew in my heart, and from what Tia told me, that he wasn't telling the truth. Instead of asking him straight out, I did my usual game of beating around the bush.

"That isn't the real reason, is it?"

He gave me a sad smile and shook his head.

"I… I just got you back, Scarlett. After so many years of not knowing if you were alive or not, you are now safe and where you belong. Then Sly comes into the picture and he threatens that. It's too soon… You've only been with us for a few months and now he's going to take you away again."

Yikes… Tia was right about "overprotective father figure." He was losing his mind over this. I reassuringly put my hand on his.

"No one is taking me away from you, Bill. You and Tia are the closest thing that I have to parents. There's no way that I would let anyone or anything get in the way of that. I promise you."

He took my hand into his and gave it a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry. I know you're a little old for me to be this way with you."

I giggled. "Maybe a tad. I don't mind it though. I love you, Bill. I promised Tia that I would never hurt you again. Just because Sly is here won't change anything. Well… Depending on how things go I might move out but nothing is set in stone. I don't even know if he's serious about being with me or not."

"Why don't you go ask?"

I got up from the chair. "Heading up there now."

I left him alone then went upstairs to check on Sly. When I opened the door, I found him already half-dressed. He turned to me, putting on his shirt.

"Good morning," he said.

I panicked a little. "You're leaving?"

"I figured I would go to Paris and check in with Carmelita and such. I will be back before you know it."

I felt my heart begin to break again. Surely, after everything he said…

"So… What you told me last night…"

He took the few steps to me and kissed me. It caught me by surprise.

"I meant every word. I'm not going to let you down this time. Would you like me to call you?"

"You would do that for me?"

He gave me a funny look. "Of course. I'll even go see Kaylita for you. How long has it been since you've talked to her anyway?"

At the mention of Kaylita, I couldn't help but feel abandoned by her. I also felt a little guilty because I kind of abandoned her too. At least I tried to reconcile. It was her own fault that she wouldn't meet me half-way.

"I haven't talked to her since the Cooper Vault job," I told him. "I tried calling her when I got to Bentley's but she… She's decided otherwise I guess."

He softened a little. "I'm sorry Annika. Do you not want me to say anything to her about you?"

"You can do whatever you want Sly. Just come back to me soon. You better not break my heart again."

I walked him downstairs and watched him walk out the door. As soon as he was gone Bill and Tia approached me.

"What?" I asked, immediately on the defensive. "He's going to Paris to take care of some things."

"That's the story he told you?" Tia questioned.

"He said he would call me but I won't keep my hopes up. In fact, I'm going up to the library to keep my mind off of him."

I left them before they could say another word about it.

I was up in the library for a few hours just rummaging though each row of books. In the row of encyclopedias and other research books, I came across a small leather-bound, antique looking book. I pulled it out and dropped it on the desk to take a better look at it. It had no title or anything on the outside to indicate what was on the inside. On the back cover though, there were tiny initials in gold on the corner closest to the binding. It was a very elegant "CR".

"Mother…" I murmured out loud.

I finally opened it and found a bunch of scribbles and notes written all around a branch of some sort. The branch had names everywhere, all of them with the Reeves surname. Then it looked like she was cross-referencing into the Cooper line. It was so thoroughly done… I should've expected no less from my mother.

I closed the book and went downstairs to talk to Bill. He was in his usual spot in his office with Tia sitting in front of him. He noticed me step in immediately. I watched his expression fell when he saw the book in my arms. He slowly got out of his chair.

"Scarlett… Where did you get that book?"


End file.
